Over the last decade, autism has gone from a rare and misunderstood condition to a disorder that may affect as many as 1.5 million Americans. Without a clear explanation in sight, parents and doctors have worked tirelessly to pinpoint the cause of autism, but the answer remains elusive. Are vaccines the missing link?
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No, They Didn't
- From Kev Leitch
By Kevin Leitch - Parent and Autism Activist
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What comes first, the chicken or the egg?
the parents of yet another child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were awarded a lump sum of more than $810,000 (plus an estimated $30-40,000 per year for autism services and care) in compensation by the Court, which ruled that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine had caused acute brain damage that led to his autism spectrum disorder.
In his conclusion, Special Master Abell ruled that Petitioners had proven that the MMR had directly caused a brain inflammation illness called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) which, in turn, had caused the autism spectrum disorder PDD-NOS in the child.
And then there is this, the U.S. government awarded compensation to a Georgia family, the Polings, who had sued the government (along with 5,000 other families whose children have autism), claiming vaccines had caused autism in their now 9-year-old daughter, Hannah. As the decision made headlines, antivaccine groups claimed victory and vindication, and parents fretted over whether to vaccinate their children.
Check out the governmental vaccine injury reporting site to learn exactly what harm vaccines are causing children.
http://vaers.hhs.gov/info.htm
No vaccine offers a guaranteed immunity against any viral infection. In fact the only guaranteed immunity is that of the big pharmcoes making the vaccines. A victim may not sue a vaccine manufacturer directly, the suit goes through "vaccine court" and the judgments come from a seventy-five cents tax on every vaccine sold, none of the money comes from the manufacturer or taxpayers.
As of January, 2009, 12,850 cases have been filed with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) , 5,535 representing autism cases. Of the total, 6,979 have been adjudicated, with 2,260 being compensated. Claims arising from vaccinations given prior to October 1, 1988, were paid from general appropriations. Over 939 million dollars has been paid in compensation from the trust fund for the post- 1988 cases, including attorneys’ fees and costs. There is currently nearly 3 billion dollars in the trust fund. There is a wide range of awards depending on the severity of injury, with the highest award currently being $9.1 million in present dollars.
2008 there were 144 awards totaling $83,743,524.93 (avg. over a half million dollars per award)
I'm not a doctor, I just know what happened to my son Ben.
http://bensmyson.wordpress.com
- bensmyson
March 5, 2009 8:41PM
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Side: Yes
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You say to-MAH-to and I say to-MAY-to
To suggest that Hannah Poling did not have autism is an outright falsehood. She was duly diagnosed by professionals in the field and it was only later when her father, a well-respected neurologists pushed for more intensive testing that her encephelopathy and mitochondrial dysfunction came to light. To suggest that professionals like Dr. and Mrs. Poling, who had ready access to centers like John Hopkins would somehow go to some hack who could not correctly diagnose their daughter is laughable.
The list of symptoms you mention are not necessarily the symptoms she displayed when she got her autism diagnosis. They are the symptoms that Poling's team presented during the course of their initial hearing which supported their claim for compensation under NVICP. Since the rules of engagemtn there are relatively strict compared to other arenas for tort, it is important to present the case using previously accepted terms. Otherwise you risk an outright dismissal.
What is probably the most significant aspect of the Poling case is not that Hannah regressed after her vaccinations, or even that her autistic characteristics were determined to be the result of her vaccine injury. The most significant thing is that Hannah's case was to be the first test case for this new area of claim (autism caused by vaccination) and DHHS recognized that as such it would set a very unpleasant precedent for them. This is why the quietly conceded so quickly, and why so many people whose careers are vested in continuing and expaning the vaccination program were so incensed when Dr. Poling chose to go public with the deatils.
- Dad Fourkids March 26, 2009 1:55PM
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