#376
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 11:06:08 -0500
From: "Farley, Dana" <DFarley@BHS.UMN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Deadly Immunity (was Re: Booster Vaccine May...)
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Mark, Nathan and others,
Thanks for the link and discussion, here's another recent article to add = to
the discussion. This issue has been a great topic for my public = health class.
It is definitely getting more and more political = backing... and as we know
health care -- delivery, access, and quality =
-- often is based more on political persuasion than "scientific fact" = (which
is not always as clear cut and perfect as we would like it to = be). =20
Dana Farley=20
Director of Health Promotion=20
Boynton Health Service=20
Instructor, School of Public Health=20
University of Minnesota=20
dfarley@bhs.umn.edu=20
612-625-5917=20
fax 612-625-2925=20
June 25, 2005 New York Times
On Autism's Cause, It's Parents vs. Research By GARDINER HARRIS = <http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=3DbylL&v1=3DGARDINER%20HARRIS=
&fdq=3D19960101&td=3Dsysdate&sort=3Dnewest&ac=3DGARDINER%20HARRIS&inline=3D=
nyt-per> and ANAHAD O'CONNOR =
<http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=3DbylL&v1=3DANAHAD%20O'CONNOR=
&fdq=3D19960101&td=3Dsysdate&sort=3Dnewest&ac=3DANAHAD%20O'CONNOR&inline=3D=
nyt-per> =20
Kristen Ehresmann, a Minnesota Department of Health official, had just = told a
State Senate hearing that vaccines with microscopic amounts of = mercury were
safe. Libby Rupp, a mother of a 3-year-old girl with = autism, was
incredulous.=20 "How did my daughter get so much mercury in her?" Ms. Rupp asked
Ms. = Ehresmann after her testimony.
"Fish?" Ms. Ehresmann suggested.=20
"She never eats it," Ms. Rupp answered.=20 "Do you drink tap water?"=20 "It's
all filtered."=20 "Well, do you breathe the air?" Ms. Ehresmann asked, with a
resigned = smile. Several parents looked angrily at Ms. Ehresmann, who left.
Ms. Rupp remained, shaking with anger. That anyone could defend mercury = in
vaccines, she said, "makes my blood boil."
Public health officials like Ms. Ehresmann, who herself has a son with = autism,
have been trying for years to convince parents like Ms. Rupp = that there is no
link between thimerosal - a mercury-containing = preservative once used
routinely in vaccines - and autism.=20 They have failed.=20 The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug = Administration, the
Institute of Medicine, the World Health Organization = and the American Academy
of Pediatrics have all largely dismissed the = notion that thimerosal causes or
contributes to autism. Five major = studies have found no link.
Yet despite all evidence to the contrary, the number of parents who = blame
thimerosal for their children's autism has only increased. And in = recent
months, these parents have used their numbers, their passion and = their
organizing skills to become a potent national force. The issue has = become one
of the most fractious and divisive in pediatric medicine.
"This is like nothing I've ever seen before," Dr. Melinda Wharton, = deputy
director of the National Immunization Program, told a gathering = of
immunization officials in Washington in March. "It's an era where it = appears
that science isn't enough."
Parents have filed more than 4,800 lawsuits - 200 from February to April = alone
- pushed for state and federal legislation banning thimerosal and = taken out
full-page advertisements in major newspapers. They have also = gained the
support of politicians, including Senator Joseph I. = Lieberman, Democrat of
Connecticut, and Representatives Dan Burton, = Republican of Indiana, and Dave
Weldon, Republican of Florida. And = Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote an article in
the June 16 issue of Rolling = Stone magazine arguing that most studies of the
issue are flawed and = that public health officials are conspiring with drug
makers to cover up = the damage caused by thimerosal.=20 "We're not looking like
a fringe group anymore," said Becky Lourey, a = Minnesota state senator and a
sponsor of a proposed thimerosal ban. Such = a ban passed the New York State
Legislature this week.=20 But scientists and public health officials say they
are alarmed by the = surge of attention to an idea without scientific merit. The
= anti-thimerosal campaign, they say, is causing some parents to stay away =
from vaccines, placing their children at risk for illnesses like measles = and
polio.=20 "It's really terrifying, the scientific illiteracy that supports these
= suspicions," said Dr. Marie McCormick, chairwoman of an Institute of =
Medicine panel that examined the controversy in February 2004.
Experts say they are also concerned about a raft of unproven, costly and =
potentially harmful treatments - including strict diets, supplements and = a
detoxifying technique called chelation - that are being sold for tens = of
thousands of dollars to desperate parents of autistic children as a = cure for
"mercury poisoning."=20 In one case, a doctor forced children to sit in a
160-degree sauna, = swallow 60 to 70 supplements a day and have so much blood
drawn that one = child passed out.=20 Hundreds of doctors list their names on a
Web site endorsing chelation = to treat autism, even though experts say that no
evidence supports its = use with that disorder. The treatment carries risks of
liver and kidney = damage, skin rashes and nutritional deficiencies, they
say.=20 In recent months, the fight over thimerosal has become even more bitter.
= In response to a barrage of threatening letters and phone calls, the = centers
for disease control has increased security and instructed = employees on safety
issues, including how to respond if pies are thrown = in their faces. One
vaccine expert at the centers wrote in an internal = e-mail message that she
felt safer working at a malaria field station in = Kenya than she did at the
agency's offices in Atlanta.=20 An Alarm Is Sounded Thimerosal was for decades
the favored preservative for use in vaccines. = By weight, it is about 50
percent ethyl mercury, a form of mercury most = scientists consider to be less
toxic than methyl mercury, the type found = in fish. The amount of ethyl mercury
included in each childhood vaccine = was once roughly equal to the amount of
methyl mercury found in the = average tuna sandwich.
In 1999, a Food and Drug Administration scientist added up all the = mercury
that American infants got with a full immunization schedule and = concluded that
the amount exceeded a government guideline. Some health = authorities counseled
no action, because there was no evidence that = thimerosal at the doses given
was harmful and removing it might cause = alarm. Others were not so certain that
thimerosal was harmless.
In July 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health = Service
released a joint statement urging vaccine makers to remove = thimerosal as
quickly as possible. By 2001, no vaccine routinely = administered to children in
the United States had more than half of a = microgram of mercury - about what is
found in an infant's daily supply = of breast milk.
Despite the change, government agencies say that vaccines with = thimerosal are
just as safe as those without, and adult flu vaccines = still contain the
preservative.
But the 1999 advisory alarmed many parents whose children suffered from =
autism, a lifelong disorder marked by repetitive, sometimes = self-destructive
behaviors and an inability to form social = relationships. In 10 to 25 percent
of cases, autism seems to descend on = young children seemingly overnight,
sometime between their first and = second birthdays.
Diagnoses of autism have risen sharply in recent years, from roughly 1 = case
for every 10,000 births in the 1980's to 1 in 166 births in 2003.
Most scientists believe that the illness is influenced strongly by = genetics
but that some unknown environmental factor may also play a = role.
Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute for Mental Health, =
said: "Is it cellphones? Ultrasound? Diet sodas? Every parent has a = theory. At
this point, we just don't know."
In 2000, a group of parents joined together to found SafeMinds, one of = several
organizations that argue that thimerosal is that environmental = culprit. Their
cause has been championed by politicians like Mr. Burton.
"My grandson received nine shots in one day, seven of which contained =
thimerosal, which is 50 percent mercury as you know, and he became = autistic a
short time later," he said in an interview.
In a series of House hearings held from 2000 through 2004, Mr. Burton = called
the leading experts who assert that vaccines cause autism to = testify. They
included a chemistry professor at the University of = Kentucky who says that
dental fillings cause or exacerbate autism and = other diseases and a doctor
from Baton Rouge, La., who says that God = spoke to her through an 87-year-old
priest and told her that vaccines = caused autism.
Also testifying were Dr. Mark Geier and his son, David Geier, the = experts
whose work is most frequently cited by parents.
Trying to Build a Case
Dr. Geier has called the use of thimerosal in vaccines the world's = "greatest
catastrophe that's ever happened, regardless of cause."
He and his son live and work in a two-story house in suburban Maryland. = Past
the kitchen and down the stairs is a room with cast-off, unplugged = laboratory
equipment, wall-to-wall carpeting and faux wood paneling that = Dr. Geier calls
"a world-class lab - every bit as good as anything at = N.I.H."=20 Dr. Geier has
been examining issues of vaccine safety since at least = 1971, when he was a lab
assistant at the National Institutes of Health, = or N.I.H. His r=E9sum=E9 lists
scores of publications, many of which = suggest that vaccines cause injury or
disease.=20 He has also testified in more than 90 vaccine cases, he said,
although a = judge in a vaccine case in 2003 ruled that Dr. Geier was "a
professional = witness in areas for which he has no training, expertise and =
experience."
In other cases, judges have called Dr. Geier's testimony "intellectually =
dishonest," "not reliable" and "wholly unqualified."
The six published studies by Dr. Geier and David Geier on the = relationship
between autism and thimerosal are largely based on = complaints sent to the
disease control centers by people who suspect = that their children were harmed
by vaccines.
In the first study, the Geiers compared the number of complaints = associated
with a thimerosal-containing vaccine, given from 1992 to = 2000, with the
complaints that resulted from a thimerosal-free version = given from 1997 to
2000. The more thimerosal a child received, they = concluded, the more likely an
autism complaint was filed. Four other = studies used similar methods and came
to similar conclusions.
Dr. Geier said in an interview that the link between thimerosal and = autism was
clear.
Public health officials, he said, are " just trying to cover it up."
Assessing the Studies
Scientists say that the Geiers' studies are tainted by faulty = methodology.
"The problem with the Geiers' research is that they start with the = answers and
work backwards," said Dr. Steven Black, director of the = Kaiser Permanente
Vaccine Study Center in Oakland, Calif. "They are = doing voodoo science."
Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, the director of the disease control centers, = said the
agency was not withholding information about any potentially = damaging effects
of thimerosal.
"There's certainly not a conspiracy here," she said. "And we would never =
consider not acknowledging information or evidence that would have a = bearing
on children's health."=20 In 2003, spurred by parents' demands, the C.D.C. asked
the Institute of = Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the
nation's = most prestigious medical advisory group, to review the evidence on =
thimerosal and autism.
In a report last year, a panel convened by the institute dismissed the = Geiers'
work as having such serious flaws that their studies were = "uninterpretable."
Some of the Geiers' mathematical formulas, the = committee found, "provided no
information," and the Geiers used basic = scientific terms like "attributable
risk" incorrectly.
In contrast, the committee found five studies that examined hundreds of =
thousands of health records of children in the United States, Britain, = Denmark
and Sweden to be persuasive.
A study by the World Health Organization, for example, examined the = health
records of 109,863 children born in Britain from 1988 to 1997 and = found that
children who had received the most thimerosal in vaccines had = the lowest
incidence of developmental problems like autism.
Another study examined the records of 467,450 Danish children born from = 1990
to 1996. It found that after 1992, when the country's only =
thimerosal-containing vaccine was replaced by one free of the = preservative,
autism rates rose rather than fell.
In one of the most comprehensive studies, a 2003 report by C.D.C. = scientists
examined the medical records of more than 125,000 children = born in the United
States from 1991 to 1999. It found no difference in = autism rates among
children exposed to various amounts of thimerosal.=20 Parent groups, led by
SafeMinds, replied that documents obtained from = the disease control centers
showed that early versions of the study had = found a link between thimerosal
and autism.
But C.D.C. researchers said that it was not unusual for studies to = evolve as
more data and controls were added. The early versions of the = study, they said,
failed to control for factors like low birth weight, = which increases the risk
of developmental delays.=20 The Institute of Medicine said that it saw "nothing
inherently = troubling" with the C.D.C.'s adjustments and concluded that
thimerosal = did not cause autism. Further studies, the institute said, would
not be = "useful."
Threats and Conspiracy Talk
Since the report's release, scientists and health officials have been =
bombarded with hostile e-mail messages and phone calls. Dr. McCormick, = the
chairwoman of the institute's panel, said she had received = threatening mail
claiming that she was part of a conspiracy. Harvard = University has increased
security at her office, she said.=20 An e-mail message to the C.D.C. on Nov. 28
stated, "Forgiveness is = between them and God. It is my job to arrange a
meeting," according to = records obtained by The New York Times after the filing
of an open = records request.
Another e-mail message, sent to the C.D.C. on Aug. 20, said, "I'd like = to know
how you people sleep straight in bed at night knowing all the = lies you tell &
the lives you know full well you destroy with the = poisons you push & protect
with your lies." Lynn Redwood of SafeMinds = said that such e-mail messages did
not represent her organization or = other advocacy groups.=20 In response to the
threats, C.D.C. officials have contacted the Federal = Bureau of Investigation
and heightened security at the disease control = centers. Some officials said
that the threats had led them to look for = other jobs.
In "Evidence of Harm," a book published earlier this year that is = sympathetic
to the notion that thimerosal causes autism, the author, = David Kirby, wrote
that the thimerosal theory would stand or fall within = the next year or two.=20
Because autism is usually diagnosed sometime between a child's third and =
fourth birthdays and thimerosal was largely removed from childhood = vaccines in
2001, the incidence of autism should fall this year, he = said.=20 No such
decline followed thimerosal's removal from vaccines during the = 1990's in
Denmark, Sweden or Canada, researchers say.
But the debate over autism and vaccines is not likely to end soon.=20 "It
doesn't seem to matter what the studies and the data show," said Ms. =
Ehresmann, the Minnesota immunization official. "And that's really scary = for
us because if science doesn't count, how do we make decisions? How = do we
communicate with parents?"
-----Original Message-----
From: The HEDIR is operated by Mark J. Kittleson, SIUC =
[mailto:HEDIR-L@LISTSERV.SIU.EDU] On Behalf Of Mark Fulop
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 4:51 PM
To: HEDIR-L@LISTSERV.SIU.EDU
Subject: Deadly Immunity (was Re: Booster Vaccine May...)
** The Leader in Health Education-AAHE
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nathan wrote:
>thanks for the link, Mark. I'm truly amazed that
anyone >would give it such high marks as to call it an "excellent" >article!
Surely an article must do more than give an >opposite perspective to be called
well written!
Nathan,
Of course I hope you would not think that I called the article excellent because
it simply gives an opposite perspective. Opposing perspectives on immunizations
(such as the National Vaccine Information Center http://www.909shot.com/ and
Peggy O'Mara of Mothering magazine http://www.mothering.com) have been around a
very long time. Nor do I simply call the article excellent because it I thought
it was without flaw.
Indeed, there have been three corrections to the article since it was published
and likely some truth to the opposing sentiments of the IOM president.
What I found very interesting and worthy of the word "excellent" is that RFK,
Jr. is a profoundly intelligent lawyer who has committed his career to fighting
for environmental health and justice issues.
His research and involvement in the investigation of Thimersol in immunizations
has elevated the debate, specific to Thimersol, from the realm of
"anti-government conspiracy theorists" and into the realm of public discourse.
As, the article concludes, "If, as the evidence suggests, our public-health
authorities knowingly allowed the pharmaceutical industry to poison an entire
generation of American children, their actions arguably constitute one of the
biggest scandals in the annals of American medicine."
Early childhood immunizations are "hot button issues"
that causes many parents much angst. I am (barely) old enough to know people who
survived polio (and who did not survive) and could never imagine saying that all
immunizations are bad but even after working briefly as an infant immunization
coordinator for San Diego County, I cannot say that all immunizations are good
either. There is too much money and influence by corporations to give a blanket
approval to everything pumped out of the FDA and CDC, especially when you
consider that nearly half of the FDA's $400,000 drug evaluation budget is paid
for by the pharma industry and Federal Advisory panels are being stacked with
pharma industry insiders. This article is because it is excellent as an
instructive tool regarding the influence of corporate money and politics on
science.
And I posted the link because I believe that if we as health education/public
health professionals cannot think at the systems level, we fail in our
profession.
m
Mark Fulop, MA, MPH
PO Box 13094
Portland, OR 97213
503-282-1271
__________________________________________________
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#377
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 13:25:55 -0400
From: Nancy Eichner <neichner@GWU.EDU>
Subject: CHHCS Grant Alerts -- June 29, 2005
** The Leader in Health Education-AAHE
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** Using Excel to Run Statistics
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CHHCS Grant Alerts -- June 29, 2005
Medtronic Foundation Offers Two Grant Initiatives:
The Medtronic Foundation's mission is to alleviate pain, restore health and
extend life, while maintaining good citizenship as a company. The Foundation
requests proposals under two grant initiatives -- 1) Health in the Community and
2) Health in the Community Twin Cities.
http://www.healthinschools.org/grants/ops353.asp
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- State Partnership Grant Program
To Improve Minority Health:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seeking proposals for the
State Partnership Grant Program To Improve Minority Health. Through the
development of partnerships with State and territorial offices of minority
health, the grant will facilitate the improvement of minority health and
elimination of health disparities in the areas of immunization, asthma, cancer,
diabetes, heart disease, HIV, infant mortality, and mental health.
http://www.healthinschools.org/grants/ops354.asp
The Ronald McDonald House Charities:
The Ronald McDonald House Charities supports programs that directly improve the
health and well being of children. Organizations seeking funding should have a
specific program which: 1) directly improves the health and well being of
children; 2) addresses a significant funding gap or critical opportunity; 3) has
long-term impact in terms of replication or reach; and
4) produces measurable results.
http://www.healthinschools.org/grants/ops355.asp
Nancy Eichner
Senior Program Manager
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
Phone: (202) 466-3396
Fax: (202) 466-3467
Email: neichner@gwu.edu
www.healthinschools.org
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#378
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 16:25:16 -0400
From: Nancy Eichner <neichner@GWU.EDU>
Subject: CHHCS News Alert, June 29, 2005 -- Senate Bill Would Help Schools
Reduce Childhood Obesity
** The Leader in Health Education-AAHE
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** Using Excel to Run Statistics
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CHHCS News Alert -- June 29, 2005
Senate Bill Would Help Schools Reduce Childhood Obesity:
A bill introduced in the United States Senate yesterday by a bipartisan group of
senators led by majority leader Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) aims to reduce
childhood obesity by encouraging schools and school districts to develop and
implement "local, school-based programs designed to reduce and prevent childhood
obesity, promote increased physical activity, and improve nutritional choices."
http://www.healthinschools.org/2005/june29_alert.asp
Nancy Eichner
Senior Program Manager
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
Phone: (202) 466-3396
Fax: (202) 466-3467
Email: neichner@gwu.edu
www.healthinschools.org
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#379
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 16:34:03 -0400
From: "Michaela Conley, MA" <michaela@HPCAREER.NET>
Subject: Paid Ad: Health Ed Grad Assistantships @ SIU Carbondale
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*Health Education Graduate Assistantships*
Southern Illinois University Carbondale has at least one graduate assistantship
in health education available for 2005-06. The assistantship is open to
prospective graduate students interested in either the MS, MPH or Ph.D degree in
health education. The primary responsibilities of the assistantship are teaching
undergraduate health education courses (a total of 6 credits per semester).
Salary for the assistantships is $10,494 for nine months (fall and spring
semesters) at the MS and MPH levels, and $11,376 at the Ph.D. level. In
addition, tuition is waived for the graduate assistant's courses. Approximately
$600 in fees must be paid per semester. If you are interested please go to
www.hedir.org/forms <http://www.hedir.org/forms> to apply on-line.
Note that applicants must complete the graduate school application, a
departmental application, three references must complete the forms (available at
the web site), and official transcripts from all universities attended.
International students must also submit a TOEFL and other required paperwork.
For more information contact
Dr. Mark Kittleson (kittle@siu.edu), Graduate Coordinator, or Dr. David Birch (dabirch@siu.edu),
Department Chair; Department of Health Education & Recreation, Southern Illinois
University Carbondale,
618-453-4331
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