Vaccine Watch

By: Sharyl Attkisson
Topics: Vaccine Watch

(AP)

After a decade of denying any possible association between vaccines and autism, the government quietly settled a vaccine-autism case last fall. When news of the case leaked out to the public months later, government officials labelled the case of Hannah Poling an "anomoly." The truth is, nobody is in a position to know whether Hannah's case is an exception. Government officials have told CBS News that they have not tracked vaccine-autism claims to see how many of them might involve children with the same undetected mitochondrial disorder Hannah had... one that may have made her susceptible to side effects from vaccines, triggering her autism. Government officials have also acknowledged to CBS News that they haven't looked for common denominators in other autism-related cases which have been compensated in federal vaccine court. Yes, there are other cases that have been paid. As CBS News has reported, the government has been settling vaccine injuries that resulted in autism and/or autistic symptoms since at least the early 1990's, while at the same time telling the public there is no cause for concern. Not all of the cases are published, but some of them are and can be found by searching legal case databases. That... with the help of some well-placed sources... is how CBS News turned up at least nine more cases... and counting. Considering that only a tiny fraction of vaccine-autism claims find their way to the little-known vaccine court, these cases are just a sampling of the total that may actually exist in the population. Further, according to knowledgeable sources, vaccine injuries compensated in the past due to encephalopathy (or brain damage) "often" resulted in autism, but the autism label was not used. Again, the government does not track how many of the encephalopathy cases involved children who got autism or ADD after their vaccinations.

One important factor is often lost in the discussion of a handful of cases: the fact that the debate has shifted from whether vaccines have any relationship to some cases of autism... to what is the role of vaccines in some cases of autism. And how big is the pool of cases. If vaccines can trigger autism in any way, directly or indirectly, that contradicts all the rhetoric and dogma heard from many public and government health officials for the past decade. And it supports what many other researchers have been saying for a decade, often to deaf ears, even after they published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Which is probably why Hannah's case is resonating under the radar in the medical community. A government conference has now been scheduled for later this month to examine mitochondrial disorders like hers and autism or neurological "triggers" (i.e. vaccines). See below.

Workshop

Mitochondrial Disorders of Childhood: Testing, Potential Relationships to Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Triggers for Neurological Deterioration June 29, 2008

Workshop Goals and Objectives

"Mitochondrial Disorders of Childhood: Testing, Potential Relationships to Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Triggers for Neurological Deterioration" is a workshop to be held on Sunday June 29th after the close of the United Mitochondrial Disease Meeting in Indianapolis at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. The workshop will convene 11 experts in mitochondrial disorders or autism to discuss how the neurology of mitochondrial disorders might inform autism research.

The conference is sponsored by a number of Federal agencies including DHHS, CDC, FDA, NINDS and NIMH. Observers are welcome as seating allows.

Location

Hyatt Regency Indianapolis

Sharyl Attkisson
Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News investigative correspondent based in Washington. All of her stories, videos and blogs are available here.
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by millie99516 June 22, 2008 4:44 PM EDT: Remember the Holocaust... because as soon as you forget it...it WILL happen again.

We, as a country, can no longer trust the medical "care" we receive, the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe, the words we hear, the diagnosises we get and the governement who has brought us to where we are today.

Mother nature gave YOU an instinctive gut for a reason. Trust your gut instinct as it will always tell you the truth and lead to to what is right no matter what anyone else "expert" or not says or tells you to do.; Reply to this comment


by millie99516 June 22, 2008 4:35 PM EDT: The words of Dr. Mark Donohoe:

"Growing up is often a painful experience in which blind faith must be discarded, and in which
we seek the truth for ourselves. The truth, for me, is the people who see me and relate their all too
similar stories day after day. It is not theory, experts, authorities of newspaper stories. I urge and invite you all to lose your faith, and grow your own knowledge and understanding. Believe nothing I or others say without testing it against your experience. Then, do not doubt the truth you find, no matter what the %u201Cexperts%u201D say".; Reply to this comment


by heatherking3 June 22, 2008 3:32 PM EDT: Thank you once again, Sharyl, for reporting with honesty and integrity. You are one of the few that has the courage it takes to put this epidemic of autism on the radar and report on the facts surrounding this public health crisis.
To CBS and Sharyl Attkisson: Keep up the excellent work!
Heather King
Mother of two vaccine-injured children
Northern California; Reply to this comment


by heatherking3 June 22, 2008 3:31 PM EDT: Thank you once again, Sharyl, for reporting with honesty and integrity. You are one of the few that has the courage it takes to put this epidemic of autism on the radar and report on the facts surrounding this public health crisis.
To CBS and Sharyl Attkisson: Keep up the excellent work!
Heather King
Mother of two vaccine-injured children
Northern California; Reply to this comment


by jeffsmom4 June 22, 2008 3:19 PM EDT: Sharyl, thank you. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel regarding your continued efforts on this important cause.

Children can get harmed from their vaccines. If your family did not experience this - that does not mean other families did not. And if you have healthy children - you are blessed. Thank your lucky stars because you dodged a heart breaking bullet.; Reply to this comment


by burndsman June 22, 2008 2:34 PM EDT: My mother was born in WWI, her father, my grandfather got killed by WMD, dying on 4/5/1919 a slow death. I was born in 1942 in WWII. We are all from Hamburg/Germany. My wife, Adrienne''s birthday is on 4/5. Our son, Alex, now 21 yrs, born in Los Angeles, has Autism, non-verbal, atheletic, hyperactive and very strong, always need somebody with him. We trusted the California healthsystem back in 1987, but we were NOT informed of the fact at the time that there was thimerosal (49% mercury) used as preservatives to safe a dollar for vaccications like DTP etc. I would have NOT had my son vaccinated at the time, because I was aware of prior damage in my wife''s family, her grandfather worked for Bethelehem Steel in Baltimore and Alex''s grandfather had a learning disabilty. The establishment of the vaccine court in 1986 was a setup to protecting the pharma industry. I had no idea at the time of these facts. Lets not forget that the Bush famuly back in WWII was deeply involved with IG Farben and the holocst (it is pain which will never leave me, incl. that of my grandfather), the pharma industry as a whole and the oil industry. How can I ever get justice for my son, who is erman, black and american native.
Can the USA step up to the plate for the children in America like we did in West Germany after WWII and will admit to this crime on humanity and help our children to have a life. Even more important to make sure that we have babies in the futuere who will have a chance for a normal life.; Reply to this comment


by lightedway June 22, 2008 1:17 PM EDT: Thank you so much, Sharyl, for bringing this issue to the forefront!!! We need honest and truthful reporting of facts for our children and we are grateful to you. How can you dispute one of the major causes of autism is toxins when recovery comes from pulling the ingredients (toxins) of the vaccines back out of the body? We know - we have experienced this! Thank you!; Reply to this comment


by thomasmollo2 June 22, 2008 11:37 AM EDT: My child was 100% normal. We have video...TONS of video !

After 18 months we noticed he was drfting away.

Christian was given 4 vaccinations two different times at his Doctor''s Office Visit.

After the 2nd round he simply dissapeared.

PLEASE PLEASE get this story out ! MIllions of children worldwide are being damaged.

We must act now.; Reply to this comment


by eldance-2009 June 22, 2008 11:24 AM EDT: Thank you Sharyl Attkisson for being an open minded and brave journalist looking at all sides of this controversial story. We parents of vaccine injured children know that the truth is now emerging and we are grateful for stand up humans like yourself who deliver the facts so the public can be properly informed. Thank you again!; Reply to this comment


by maurine9 June 22, 2008 10:59 AM EDT: Thank you CBS and Ms. Attkisson for speaking out for all those in the autism community who want the truth to be heard. At a critical time when the media so often acts only as a mouthpiece for our government health agencies, this type of honest reporting is urgent given the numbers of sick children
we are now confronting. Ms. Attkisson, you are a star reporter in our autism community.; Reply to this comment