Autism-Vaccine Link Rejected by Appeals Court

(AP)  Updated at 5:51 p.m. ET

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a ruling that vaccines are not to blame for autism.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision last year by a special vaccine court, which concluded there's little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link.

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Scientist years ago reached that conclusion, but more than 5,500 families sought compensation through the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Friday's ruling came in the case of Michelle Cedillo of Yuma, Ariz., who is disabled with autism, inflammatory bowel disease and other disorders that her parents blame on a measles vaccine given at 15 months.

In the 2009 ruling Special Master Denise Vowell wrote that the evidence "is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive. Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding" of autism.

In its ruling Friday the appeals panel said "we have carefully reviewed the decision of the special master and we find that it is rationally supported by the evidence, well-articulated, and reasonable. We, therefore, affirm the denial of the Cedillos' petition for compensation."

Earlier this year the so-called vaccine court also concluded that the additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, an added setback in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection.

The decisions help to offer reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise.

[geoandpenn]

just curious being a mother of 3 autistic children how come i vaccinated my first two they have autism maderate and severe got spooked waited on my 3rd child finally got hers and now she has aspbergers a form of autism when before she was fine .weiord huh. i know ever child is differnt but does anyone know if rh negative and other blood type factors play a role in the chances of having autistic childreh

[TruthSucks]

Such a shame. We only have to go back in history a little while when vaccines were first introduced (to the upper classes), and autism then started showing up in only that group. When vaccines were introduced to all classes, autism showed up in all classes. Vaccines are loaded with toxins (not just Thimerosal), and when our children's immature immune systems are loaded with these toxic vaccines, they cannot handle it. Vaccines are HUGE business. Imagine how much business would be lost if they went away. And then these toxins become part of our DNA and are added to the next generation and so on. Is there evidence that vaccines actually help prevent disease?? Polio was naturally fading away when the vaccine was introduced. And there was a surge in Polio when it was introduced. Vaccines actually weaken our systems immune response as the body does not educate itself how to fight disease. Can we say 100% for certain that vaccines are not a factor in autism? I guess it's a gamble but the stakes are very high.

[rf35]

The problem here is that autism was not recognized until relatively recently. And today, I firmly believe it is vastly over diagnosed. The reason it showed first among the upper-class (I'm taking your word for this) is that they could afford better medical care. Probably just as common in lower classes, simply not discovered because they couldn't afford to take their children to a doctor.

How a vaccine works: introduce certain components of a disease into the body to trick the immune system into producing antibodies for that disease. Then, if the real thing hits, the antibodies are already in place and the disease cannot take hold. This does not weaken the immune system...vaccines "exercise" it. If you want to see what weakens the immune systems, look to the anti-bacterial cleaners everywhere. These keep the immune system from encountering pathogens and create resistant super-bugs. Anybody look at all the chemicals we spray on our homes, our foods, our bodies, and into our air?

[tjbmiller5150]

BY THE WAY, MY SON IS NOT THE ONLY CHILD TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH THIS, SAME AGE BRACKET, IN OUR COUNTY...BUT WE ARE TOLD WE MUST COMPLY SO THAT THEY MAY GO TO SCHOOL!

[tjbmiller5150]

OF COURSE THEY ARE GOING TO DENY IT! This was becoming a topic when my 10 1/2 year old son was 6 months old. I called our State Board of Health, in Indiana, about my concern. I was told that in the county I live in, I cannot get the vaccines separately & MUST go to the county health department to receive the MMR shot. GEE, NOW MY SON HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM!!!!!!!!!!!! COINCIDENCE....I DON'T THINK SO!!!!!!!

[SusanStoHelit]

We know that vaccines have nothing to do with autism - this is a simple fact.

Study after study has shown no link. Were there any link, however subtle, however complicated by multiple causes, a genetic component, anything - it would show up in the statistics - children who are not vaccinated would have at the very least a slightly lower incidence of autism, than vaccinated children.

However - in study after study, no matter where they are done, nor by who - the same result shows up - the exact same rate of autism for vaccinated and unvaccinated children. This is simply proof that vaccinations have nothing to do with autism. It's not hard to understand. The only time a study ever came back with a link was in a fraudulent and faked study by Wakefield, bankrolled by lawyers.

[UntilWeAreFree]

Have you ever seen a study done comparing unvaccinated children to those who have been vaccinated? That's because none exists. The drug companies would go bankrupt with all the lawsuits if they ever admitted vaccines were the cause the autism. There are a couple cases that show up in the news where couples win in court that the MMR vaccine does indeed cause autism. You might want to listen to both sides of the argument before reaching the conclusion you stated above.

[TomMcG]

http://www.examiner.com/autism-parenting-in-national/parents-of-two-autistic-sons-vaccinated-one-but-not-the-other

Thank you for pointing it out. I keep getting shouted out everytime I state the fact that the vaccines are not the cuase. We need to start looking at the alternative possibilities, we keep wasting our time and money, let's really find a cure folks!

[kenhamlett]

This is still a curious situation. We know, I said KNOW, that the onslaught of vaccines shocks the neurological functions of the body while stimulation an immune response and we KNOW that mercury (thimerosal) is poisonous and that it accumulates in the body, especially when multiple injections are given in a short period of time. Yet somehow the courts side with the drug companies based on their biased research.
As for autism, no one really knows much about it and it is certain it comes from multiple causes since autism is just an invented name for a wide range of symptoms. Thus no one can confirm or deny what causes to rule out.
It is a sad time for our nation since the courts now routinely side with big money and against parents who want the best for their children.

[TomMcG]

I hate to state the obvious here, but Thimerosal IS NOT used in the MMR vaccine ! It was removed a while ago when they THOUGHT it could be the cause. It's out and the numbers still go up, let's look for another cause here.