Government and CDC Finally Agree to do Extensive Research into Vaccine Safety . . . Maybe Wednesday, June 10, 2009 For over a decade now most doctors, researchers, and government officials have denied that there could be any link between vaccines and autism. They’ve denied it so vehemently that they’ve refused to adequately study the very idea. Until now. The federal government’s vaccine advisory panel (the National Vaccine Advisory Committee or NVAC) just voted to recommend to the US Dept of Health and Human Services that they and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conduct large-scale prospective research trials in groups of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children to determine various theoretical risk factors and possible severe reactions to vaccines, including autism. For those of you who are saying, “Wait – they HAVE researched it extensively and have proven there is NO link between vaccines and autism.” Well, that’s not exactly accurate. To date, no study has “proven” there is no link. Many studies have “failed to demonstrate a causative relationship between vaccines and autism” – in essence, showing there probably is no link, or even there is almost definitely no link. But that is a very far cry from “proving for sure that there is no link.” What they HAVE done so far is use population-based statistical analyses (epidemiological studies) to determine that vaccines probably don’t cause autism. But no large prospective study has yet to be done using unvaccinated children as a large control group to have something to compare the vaccinated children to. This is really the gold standard for coming as close as we can to proving something is safe. And that’s the type of research the government had, up until now, refused to do. And we are not just talking about autism. There are so many other theoretical reactions to vaccines that have never been adequately studied. We’ve just written them off as so rare we won’t worry about them. Finally, after years of public pressure, the government has agreed to do the research. Maybe. What they FIRST have to do is do a study to determine if such research is even feasible and figure out how exactly to go about doing it. The government is going to select a neutral third-party research organization (The Institute of Medicine, possibly) to study how to do the study. Such an organization may or may not find such research feasible. If they determine it is feasible, then the research will begin. If not, then we’re back to square . . . whatever square we are on right now, which is “vaccines probably don’t cause problems, but we haven’t really proven it for sure.” This is also going to take time – a couple years to study the feasibility of the study, then a few more years before results start to roll in. But at least the ball is now (probably) rolling. The only thing that could stop it is a roll of red tape. That’s no obstacle at all, right? Here are a few highlights of what the NVAC recommended the CDC begin doing research on (if it is found to be feasible): Identifying subsets of our population that may be at higher risk of suffering a severe vaccine reaction, such as those with mitochondrial dysfunction, autoimmune diseases, autoimmune family histories, and genetic predispositions Accurately determine the statistical incidences of various reported severe reactions like encephalitis, encephalopathy, seizures, autoimmune reactions, demyelinating disorders, and autism The risks of reactions for babies with a prior reaction or with a family history of reactions in the parents Study various alternative vaccine schedules, including comparing reactions with multiple vaccinations to fewer vaccinations Study specific and individual vaccine chemical ingredients, including animal toxicology research (hey, I thought they would have already studied each and every vaccine ingredient in animals before they started giving them to us?) These issues have always sat in the back of my mind as unanswered questions. And the absence of unvaccinated control groups in vaccine research has probably been the one single factor that has always weighed heavily in my mind regarding vaccines. To date, such control groups have always been infants receiving the current vaccine schedule minus the new vaccine that is being studied. But now there are just way too many vaccines to consider such a group as a placebo control. FINALLY, the government is paying attention to what parents really want to know regarding vaccines. Let’s just hope they pull through with these plans so we can all feel safer about vaccines. A more extensive discussion regarding this development can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/top-us-panel-some-vaccine_b_211843.html , David Kirby’s analysis of the NVAC’s findings. David also provides a link to the NVAC’s 90-page document at the bottom of his blog so you can read the document yourself. Dr. Bob Labels: Vaccines and Autism posted by Dr. Bob Sears @ 4:11 PM   39 Comments: At June 11, 2009 1:59 AM ,  quicksilver said... Hi Dr Bob Thanks for wading in on this issue. Are the IOM independent of the CDC? I am a chemist so am more concerned with SIDS than autism. Since 1969 this has killed more than a million infants possibly in the USA. An approval recently for DTaP in a small trial reported 13 deaths. What was the result: This DTaP passed as safe to inject into every USA child at age 8 weeks and repeat at least twice more before they are 2 years old. Hope they have proved Nobel Prize Winner Professor Charles Richet wrong when he PROVED repeat vaccines cause ANAPHYLAXIS which can be problems up to and including DEATH. I am not like most thinking whether vaccines can cause health effects. I am CERTAIN they do.   At June 11, 2009 2:00 AM ,  quicksilver said... Hi Dr Bob Thanks for wading in on this issue. Are the IOM independent of the CDC? I am a chemist so am more concerned with SIDS than autism. Since 1969 this has killed more than a million infants possibly in the USA. An approval recently for DTaP in a small trial reported 13 deaths. What was the result: This DTaP passed as safe to inject into every USA child at age 8 weeks and repeat at least twice more before they are 2 years old. Hope they have proved Nobel Prize Winner Professor Charles Richet wrong when he PROVED repeat vaccines cause ANAPHYLAXIS which can be problems up to and including DEATH. I am not like most thinking whether vaccines can cause health effects. I am CERTAIN they do.   At June 11, 2009 3:35 AM ,  Naj from Oz said... Hi quicksilver, Can you refer me to that recent study od the DPat vaccine that killed 13 infants? Dr Bob, Yes, will this research be done by an independent body? AND, I cannot for the life of me understand( even though logic says it about money) how all this could be allowed to happen to our children? AND, I can't understand why parents just don't question? Thank you   At June 11, 2009 11:57 AM ,  Dr. Bob said... Hey. I don't remember what they said about who should do the research. David Kirby did comment on this in his summary - he either said that "interested parties" will be able to oversee the process or they will not - I forget which.   At June 12, 2009 10:41 AM ,  Jennifer said... "Identifying subsets of our population that may be at higher risk of suffering a severe vaccine reaction, such as those with mitochondrial dysfunction, autoimmune diseases, autoimmune family histories, and genetic predispositions" With regards to autism, it would be nice if everyone could agree that it is an autoimmune problem...otherwise, that part of this could be futile. As for everything else, I'll believe it when i see it. I guess I'm a skeptic when it comes to the government admitting any type of fault. Thanks for the post, though! Very good!!!   At June 12, 2009 12:40 PM ,  Dr. Bob said... Jennifer - autoimmune risks alone and how they apply to autism are definately a part of this.   At June 12, 2009 6:24 PM ,  Jennifer said... Dr. Bob...thanks.   At June 13, 2009 7:34 AM ,  Catherina said... To date, no study has “proven” there is no link. You really do not understand how science works - major sigh. Quicksilver - if you want to reduce the number of infant deaths, invest into decent antenatal and postnatal care for babies. Age adequately vaccinated babies actually have a 50% reduced risk of dying of unexplained causes.   At June 13, 2009 9:17 AM ,  Erik H said... Thank you, Dr. Bob. I have been saying for ages that this type of study needs to be done, comparing fully vaccinated to fully UNvaccinated children (taking into account confounding factors). As for the last post, could it be that so-called "age adequately" vaccinated babies are dying less because they are the same ones getting pre and post natal care...and tend to be breastfeed longer? These rather meaningless statistics that people throw around are precisely why we need such a study. Thanks again. Jess Haugsjaa   At June 14, 2009 6:52 AM ,  Dr. Bob said... Catherina - Yes, I know that you can't proven that something can't happen. The reason I make that statement is that many people in the news media keep saying the science has proven that vaccines don't cause autism. It hasn't. They say the US vaccine court findings have closed the issue and we can all move on now. That's what I mean when I say "no study has proven there's no link". How I should word it, however, is something like, "To date, the right type of study to really determine whether or not vaccines contribute to autism hasn't been done." That would be a more scientifically correct way to make the statement.   At June 15, 2009 11:28 AM ,  RPhMom said... "Quicksilver - if you want to reduce the number of infant deaths, invest into decent antenatal and postnatal care for babies. Age adequately vaccinated babies actually have a 50% reduced risk of dying of unexplained causes." Catherina, a 50% reduced risk of dying relative to who?? Can you provide your source?   At June 23, 2009 11:47 AM ,  Anonymous said... it is all about money our mortality rate for under 5 is not much better (if any) than most countries with 1/2 the vaccines we use. When they call us greedy americans they are right we will even sacrifice our children for money! http://www.rescuepost.com/files/gr-autism_and_vaccines_world_special_report1.pdf   At June 23, 2009 2:19 PM ,  Leticia said... If anyone is concerned about the sources of vaccines, as well as the side effects, there are many resources at Children of God for Life http://www.cogforlife.org/   At June 23, 2009 2:51 PM ,  Anonymous said... I'm sorry, I simply cannot believe that vaccines only cause harm and are given strictly for profit. I can be very pesimistic at times, but even I have a little more faith in my government and doctor than that. I agree more research ought to be done. Until it is, however, I am forced to believe that it is more dangerous to not vaccinate my son than to vaccinate him. You may think that's foolish but I think the risks of not vaccinating my child far out weigh the alternative.   At June 23, 2009 3:20 PM ,  Melissa said... Vaccinations weren't meant to be strictly for profit- they were started way back when there wasn't clean drinking water and people threw their toilet contents into the street. Disease was rampant. Around the same time that vaccines started being used, clean drinking water and plumbing was more common- diseases had less chance of spreading. We have clean water, good plumbing, better diet (generally) than we did then- vaccines aren't as necessary now.   At June 23, 2009 3:24 PM ,  masdevallia said... My son turns one on Friday!! (6/26) To date, he has received NO immunizations. We did allow the Vitamin K shot at the hospital, but that's the last needle or inhalant we've allowed for exactly this reason. Though the article A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule by Donald Miller is old (2004) I found it compelling. Since my son is low risk (stay at home mom & stay at home dad and still breastfeeding) we're going to follow his recommendations: 1) No vaccinations until a child is two years old. 2) No vaccinations that contain thimerosal (mercury). 3) No live virus vaccines (except smallpox, should it recur). 4) These vaccines, to be given one at a time, every six months, beginning at age 2: a) Pertussis (acellular, not whole cell) b) Diptheria c) Tetanus d) Polio I have read the Dr. Sears vaccination book. That was such a great reference tool as we prepared to talk to our pediatrician about why we wanted to wait on the different vaccines. One point that Dr. Bob makes is that we need to keep the herd safe by keeping the vaccines in use. I support that, we just want to wait to ensure that our son's body is strong and his immune system has a good two years to bolster itself before we begin dosing him with pharmaceuticals.   At June 23, 2009 3:36 PM ,  Anonymous said... My son is going friday for his 1 year shots. I was just going to get the mmr but now am not sure. Does anyone have any advice?   At June 23, 2009 4:01 PM ,  Anonymous said... "My son is going friday for his 1 year shots. I was just going to get the mmr but now am not sure. Does anyone have any advice?" I would not stick your son with any poison. Let our natural immune system work not one the whitecoats create in a needle.   At June 23, 2009 4:52 PM ,  Jeanette said... Dear Dr Bob - There is a list I found of the proposed studies. http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/06/front-page-huffpo-david-kirbys-seven-studies-to-watch.html#more The study to identify children at risk, will only look at child whom have siblings with Autism - which would bias the study for a genetic factor. This does not ease the minds of a 1st time mother like myself. Does that mean first child is to be the guinea pig? Thanks for keeping us informed! Jeanette   At June 23, 2009 7:23 PM ,  Anonymous said... I am all for a study, but I think we need to look beyond the baby years. What does immunization as babies/children do to the immune system in general We have to consider auto immune diseases of all kinds and not all show up until adulthood. I would prefer to see the study carried out through early adulthood when many autoimmune diseases are diagnosed. I do not think it is all about the money And I can see value in vaccines for those who prefer them. What I cannot fathom is a government making those decisions for me or my child. Provide information, provide access, and let me decide what my family needs. In my state it is all or nothing. So, it is nothing. I would prefer a choice to pick and choose.   At June 23, 2009 8:44 PM ,  Anonymous said... I wish I had more information on all of this before my children were born. But in some states you don't have a choice but to give some of these vaccines. I am so glad they are pushing for these studies. In my opinion, I feel they should broaden the studies to include many more illnesses and disorders, even learning disorders. I feel that it is too coincedental that so many children that seem to be fine are later diagnosed with an illness or disease after having these shots. I don't know if they have stopped using mercury in shots but if you aren't supposed to use other things with mercury, like in a thermometer for instance, because it's dangerous why would you continue to put it in a vaccine? Also, I don't think that pharmeceutical companies and the makers of the vaccines should conduct the studies. I'm sorry but I can't help but feel that anyone who has anything invested in the vaccines should be allowed to participate. I can't help but feel their studies would be biased. I also hope they study more than just 100 or 1000 people in a year and study people of different age groups. To be more thorough it should be done on thousands of people over the course of many years but reporting the findings every 6 months to annually and building off of that. I also have a lot to say about the HPV vaccine and forcing people to take it. I don't believe in forcing people to take a vaccine like that and I'm definitely not a fan of it but I'll just leave it at that for now. I understand some people think that it is safer to vaccinate their kids than not to, it's easy to say that when your child isn't the one who died or may have a disorder. In some cases I do believe that it is in the best interest of the public to do that but I don't think it's true in every case or every vaccine, especially in new ones that we don't even know about. Personally I don't like playing Russian Roulette with my life or my child's. Dr. Bob I know what you are saying about the studies. They are trying to say no study has proven there is a link between the vaccine and autism (or some other illness or disorder or death) but at the same time, they haven't proven there ISN'T a link either. They can't really prove if there is or if there isn't a link between the two.   At June 23, 2009 11:06 PM ,  Jen said... I think we need to get toxicologists involved... I have been seeing one because I have been 'toxicly injured'. I have two under two and we had a dialogue about why I got so sick, if its genetic, and if my kids are at risk. I got the answer that half the population does not detox well, and that it is a requirement for survival only in very recent times....so my kids are no more at risk than yours. So what happens when kids eat pestides and chemicals like MSG, huff air fresheners, plug ins, perfume, toilet bowl cleaner, febreeze, fabric softener, bleach, window cleaner, pledge, and coat themselves in formaldehyde via Johnsons and Johnsons baby wash etc...and then goes and gets a shot with yet more chemical to detox from...toxic overload and a freaked out immune system. If anyone fails to connect the dots, realize that childhood asthma and allergies have magically increased in this country and so have our household chemicals. This country's children have occupational asthma.   At June 24, 2009 11:23 AM ,  Anonymous said... "But in some states you don't have a choice but to give some of these vaccines." I must disagree...in no state are you ever forced into giving ANY vaccines. However, in ALL states, you must vaccinate in order to enroll your child in childcare or public schools. This is simply a matter of providing adequate, life-saving protection for the children, the staff, and the population of individuals who cannot be vaccinated. If you choose to keep your children out of these environments, no one can compel you to vaccinate. But as a pregnant mother of a toddler, I certainly count on each and every child in my daughter's childcare program being vaccinated against measles, for example, so that I don't risk exposing my unborn baby to its potentially damaging (even lethal) effects.   At June 24, 2009 1:19 PM ,  Anonymous said... "My son is going friday for his 1 year shots. I was just going to get the mmr but now am not sure. Does anyone have any advice?" I grew up before the MMR vaccine existed and had measles, mumps and rebella (chicken pox too), as did almost every kid I knew. All of us did just fine with the actual diseases. My kids are partially vaccinated because my son had a severe allergic reaction to DPT. If I were you, I'd at least postpone the MMR till your son is older.   At June 24, 2009 9:20 PM ,  Anonymous said... That is not true that you have to have shots to go to public school. They have exemption forms for you to have instead. You can usually claim medical and religion and some states do phiolosophical. My children go to school and dont have any shots. If a publically funded school refuses an unvax child with the proper paperwork, they lose their funding. Your relying on something and you have no idea who is vaxed and who is not.   At June 25, 2009 8:15 PM ,  Anonymous said... Dr. Bob, My son is soon to be 23 months. As I'm a professional working with children with autism, I have great concerns about vaccine. So far, he has only had the HB shots, 2 of the DTap shots. The 2nd DTaP shot was given about 4 months ago. He had running nose the next day, which was more of an allergive reaction rather than a cold. I'm not sure what I should do at his age since I have delayed for this long. If I still want some protection for him from the most serious disease, what shot shoul he get, and how many? Thanks!   At June 25, 2009 11:55 PM ,  Anonymous said... Thanks for posting this info. Parents should not let the CDC or vaccine manufacturers off the hook here. These studies are important, and concerned parents would be wise to contact their congressional representatives to maintain pressure for better safety studies of vaccines. Given CDC's and FDA's reluctance to study this, and misrepresentation of facts about vaccine safety, our action may speed progress toward safer shots. I am mother to 2 children harmed by severe overnight vaccine reactions and one who developed asthma days after shots. Several years later, they are better but not recovered, and it is painful to know I did not research the risks of vaccines before following the CDC schedule blindly. One concerning fact I learned from this experience is that doctors do not know how to treat a vaccine reaction except to tell the mother she imagined it. Both of my injured children completely stopped speaking/vocalizing & making eye contact, and lost gross motor skills overnight after getting several shots at once. This would be difficult to imagine, and as some other doctors have also suggested, it did not occur gradually. This dismissiveness did not help my children, nor did it offer any consolation to counter my utter horror and desperation over my son's terrified screams or of the complete loss of my ability to connect with my children via eye contact, words or laughter. Another thing I learned is that vaccines are not tested for safety the way parents or doctors assume; during safety trials for all vaccines containing the EPA, OSHA and FDA-regulated neurotoxins & immunotoxins--mercury and aluminum--these toxic metals are added to the placebo, effectively masking their side effects. Although mercury has mostly been phased out of pediatric vaccines, it is still used in some flu shots given to US children. Aluminum is used in HepB, HepA, Prevnar, DTaP, Gardasil & some HiB shots as an adjuvant. CDC misrepresents the safety of aluminum adjuvants on their website, comparing the injected doses in vaccines to toxicological data for ingested, or eaten, doses of aluminum. This is a very poor comparison, one that anyone remotely familiar with side effects of aluminum would not use, since it is known that our intestines are very effective (over 99.9% effective) at preventing aluminum we ingest from entering our bloodstream. Here are just some of the known side effects of aluminum exposure: low IQ, ADD/ADHD, seizures/tics, low muscle tone, poor coordination, death of neurons, delayed transmission of nerve impulses, brittle bones, learning disorders, developmental delays, swelling of brain, inflammation, irritability, violent behavior, loss of speech, asthma, food allergies, eczema, dementia and auto-immune disorders. Also associated with aluminum are Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's Diseases. Gulf War Syndrome and Macrophagic Myofasciitis are 2 diseases that have specifically been associated with aluminum adjuvants in vaccines. Additionally, studies of premature infants demonstrate that very low intravenous doses of aluminum--different than injected doses but still much smaller than the doses injected via typical well child visit shots--cause low scores on cognitive tests given to the children 18 months later. It is high time these potent neurotoxins were properly tested before being injected into any more kids. I will eagerly await the results of this study. Until then, I hope that all parents take a hard look at the vaccines pediatricians recommend, and determine their child's risk of being harmed by (vs just infected by) a disease versus the child's risk of being harmed by a vaccine. Hopefully more doctors will discuss alternative vaccine schedules with parents, as I believe doctors can provide helpful info. I argue that vaccines are valuable to our children's and public health, but that few children need to follow the CDC recommended schedule based on their risk of exposure, infection or harm by the vaccine preventable diseases.   At June 26, 2009 2:19 PM ,  Ben and Emily said... Dr. Bob, I am new to this whole vaccination issue as I have just begun having babies. I feel great about your approach to staggering shots and bought your book today since my daughter is due for her 2 month shots. I plan to follow your schedule but when I called to talk to my nurse she is already giving me a hard time. What does she mean when she says there are no preservatives in their shots?   At June 27, 2009 7:40 AM ,  Anonymous said... My son was diagnosed with autism shortly after he turned 3. He followed the usual vaccination schedule and had a mild fever after he had his MMR shot when he was a yr old. Am confused and anxious as to when to give his 14 month old sister her MMR (she got the usual 12 mo shots except MMR as per our decision). I would like her to have it when she is 2yrs but since her brother is going to preschool and we do go out, am also worried about chances that she might catch those viruses considering there was a measles outbreak summer of 2008. Any thoughts?   At June 29, 2009 7:39 AM ,  Blake said... "If anyone fails to connect the dots, realize that childhood asthma and allergies have magically increased in this country and so have our household chemicals. This country's children have occupational asthma." Jen, The reason that asthma and allergies have increased in our culture is related to household cleaners, but not in the way you are implying. Our immune system's helper T-cells (the cells destroyed by HIV) can develop in one of two directions: Th1 or Th2 cells. Th1 cells help fight infections. Th2 cells are involved in allergies (by helping produce IgE). When a T cell develops it has to go one of the two directions, and since people don't develop as many infections anymore, the T cells tend to go towards Th2 which promotes allergies. How do household cleaners factor in? Everything is so clean and hand sanitizer is so prevalent, kids don't get infections anymore, so they develop allergies. It's called the Hygiene Hypothesis if you want to look it up. That's why I think it's best to not pamper our children too much. Their immune systems need to be trained, otherwise they are at a disadvantage later in life.   At June 29, 2009 9:05 AM ,  Robert said... Dr. Bob, As a physician, you ought to be more careful with your words. As Catherina accurately pointed out, you can't say that "no study has proven that there is no link [between vaccines and autism]", because science is not able to make that sort of excluding claim. Too many factors are involved. You should be especially careful because so many of your readers are already skeptical. Your response to her comment was closer to being correct and should be given in your blogs, not the comments section. In addition, if you understand that science can never prove that there is no link, you should emphasize the sentence in the middle of your first paragraph "in essence, showing there probably is no link, or even there is almost definitely no link." It is laudable to advocate additional studies, but it is an entirely different matter to stir up mistrust against the very studies that the public originally sought.   At June 30, 2009 9:29 AM ,  Doc Darwin said... Robert-excellent comment! There have been some very compelling studies with excellent statistical significance showing the safety of many vaccines. I think a bigger proof for vaccination safety is the sheer number of doses that have already been administered. We are in the billions of doses of vaccines administered and foloowed by many specialists across the US and the world. Many of these are completely independant from "big-pharma" or "government consipirators". The old Rotavirus vaccine (Rotashield) was released for about 8months and about 1 million doses before a blip was detected on cases of intussuception (a type of bowel blockage) and was pulled from the market. As a pediatrician, I HAVE read all the studies, I DO understand statistics, I HAVE heard the couterpoints, I HAVE read the opposing literature and it is very POOR and we should be much more skeptical of the anti-vaccine movement. I lose money every day by providing vaccines to my patients. Their costs are high and insurers underpay practitioners for them but it is well worth the minor loss to protect my patients. I will be very curious to see how a true influenza pandemic or world-class infectious outbreak from a vaccine-preventable disease will change minds on this issue. I feel so sad that these uninformed will have to suffer to learn a lesson. But I fear this is the case. BTW- I personally vaccinate my own kids. I would highly recommend yearly flu shots or nasal spray (flumist) and I gave my 4yr old and 7 yr old the Menactra vaccine (meningococcal meninigitis) even though it only has a formal recommendation after 11yrs old. I saw three very tragic cases of meningococcus during training and would be absolutely guilt ridden if my child got this tragic disease and protection was as close as my office fridge. (I also offer it to all my patients!)   At July 3, 2009 10:37 AM ,  a pediatrician, MD said... I am a practicing pediatrician. I am 8 months pregnant with my first child and I am going vaccinate my own child. Every single pediatrician I know vaccinates their own children. The science has proven that there is no link between autism and the mmr vaccine, but if further studies will convince more people to vaccinate their children then I am all for more studies. Dr. Sears is in the minority in his skepticism of vaccines. I have not heard other dissenting opinions from the pediatric community. Why be skeptical of your personal pediatrician financially profiting from the vaccines (a lot do not profit, myself included) when Dr. Sears has also financially profited from the books he has written about vaccines and the baby carrier and other advertisements. I am not saying that he is not sincere in his beliefs but he has more to gain financially by propagating this fear of vaccines.   At July 7, 2009 2:35 PM ,  Anonymous said... Hi, I followed an alternative vaccine schedule very much like the one outlined in your book for the highly-cautious parent. My daughter has received the following vaccinations: HIB, Prevnar, DTaP, and last year we gave her one flu shot. Then, she became so sick for four months straight that we finally went to a new pediatrician who tested her IgA and IgG levels. (For those not familiar with these tests, they test the level of immunoglobulin A and Immunoglobulin G, two immune components responsible for fighting disease. IgA is present at all mucousal sites (eyes, ears, nose, throat, lungs, intestines, urogenital tracts). It is the first immune component to "rise to the occasion" at the onset of illness. IgG (and IgM and IgE) is the blood component responsible for fighting the disease. I found out that my daughter has Selective IgA Deficiency, in that her blood test was not able to detect IgA. We are going to have her retested at age 2 when the immune system is fully developed to see if the levels have risen. What I want to mention here is that we discovered that there are two vaccine injuries listed on the CDCs website for which we might have seen occur in our daughter: 1) live polio vaccine can cause polio in some immune compromised patients, 2) the live measles component in the MMR vaccine can cause measles in some immune compromised patients. Lastly, the live (nasal) flu vaccine can cause severe flu in immune compromised patients. I spoke with my daughter's former doctor and she checked the validity of this with a top immunologist at Children's Hospital, who told her that though there is no data to show that an IgA deficient patient shouldn't receive the MMR vaccine, we should "proceed with great caution." I said to my doctor, "so, don't get it." She said, "Right." My question to you, Dr. Bob, if you are able to respond, is this: is it considered too expensive to test patients for immune deficiencies prior to vaccination? If IgA deficiency is one of the most common immune deficiencies (at a rate of 1 out of 400-700 people), then why aren't we testing kids prior to vaccinating? Why is it simple luck that I found out that she has this deficiency in time to *not* give her any live vaccinations? And lastly, what are the chances that her IgA deficiency was vaccine-induced? Who can I address these concerns to? Who do I send a letter to? Thanks.   At July 7, 2009 2:39 PM ,  VFC said... Dr. Bob, thanks for you posts and for your skepticism. As for the previous comment from “a pediatrician, MD” - aren't scientists supposed to be skeptics? Isn't that the core of a scientist? The shear lack of skepticism about vaccines from doctors greatly aroused my suspicions about them. While talking to 5 pediatricians, my wife and I got the exact same answers when we asked about vaccines. How can 5 doctors give the same answers unless they have basically been brainwashed? One aspect of the vaccine debate that I haven't heard anyone else mention is that doctors and the CDC have a vested interest in vaccines being considered “safe”. Vaccines seem to prevent the spread of infections diseases and prevent outbreaks. Therefore, doctors and the government absolutely want everyone to be vaccinated. The problem with this approach is the unintended consequences. We may have prevented the spread of measles, but what problems have we caused? Vaccine related problems all tend to only affect one child at a time – autism, allergies, asthma, SIDS, etc (granted, none of these have “proven” links). From the governments perspective, I'm sure they would rather see an increase in autoimmune disorders than to see pandemics of infectious diseases. If you look at children (and adults) as statistics, then that logic makes sense. Of course, it is much different when you think of your child. Here is another unanswered question that is never discussed – why is it that when a new “wonder drug” comes out to treat heart disease, cancer, etc., it must undergo years of testing (and drug companies are still sued all the time for various reactions), but a vaccine can be rolled out in a few months with no risk of being sued? The “wonder drug” will be used to treat a disease that someone already has, but the vaccine is just used to “prevent” you from getting a disease. The process doesn't make any sense and is quite suspicious. My guess is that the answer is the same vested interest that I mentioned earlier.   At July 8, 2009 6:22 PM ,  Anonymous said... Dr. Bob, Thank you so very much for your excellent advice and support to parents. You are a very courageous and conscientious physician to question the current vaccine schedules. The recent Danish study linking autisim to the mother's autoimmune disease is interesting and, in my opinion, supports your recommendations that some children should have a delayed vaccination schedule. We have autoimmune diseases in our family - celiac disease and diabetes - and our grandson has followed a delayed vac schedule and is doing so well. Thank you for helping us. A very grateful grandmother   At July 10, 2009 8:49 PM ,  Anonymous said... A Pediatrician MD said: am a practicing pediatrician. I am 8 months pregnant with my first child and I am going vaccinate my own child. Every single pediatrician I know vaccinates their own children. The science has proven that there is no link between autism and the mmr vaccine, but if further studies will convince more people to vaccinate their children then I am all for more studies. 1st-Thank you for your input, however, my pediatrician admitted to me that most of her collegues do not vaccinate. 2nd- Please feel free to incoulate your child with all these posions. I have chosen NOT to do so after hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours of research, and I am still reading. I ask of you and every single DR on this planet, to DO YOUR RESEARCH... READ READ AND READ... You say there is no evidence of harm. BUT yet, we have these overwhelming epidemics of diseases that were relatively uncommon until we increased our vaccine schedule by over 260%. The CDC ADMITS that " We cannot reject or accept that vaccines cause autism".. Thus there is no proof that it doesnt cause autism. BUT you and most dr's on this planent say that we have provan there is no link. THIS is NOT true!!!!!!... Allan Yurko, spent 6 years in jail accused of murdering his son, but was later released as he proved that the vaccines and medication killed his son...Deny this if you wish. Also, are you avoiding products with mercury because you are pregnant? I would assume you are not because its highly recommned we don't. So why are youe happy to inject this toxin into your child and every other childs body?... "Dr. Sears has also financially profited from the books he has written about vaccines and the baby carrier and other advertisements. I am not saying that he is not sincere in his beliefs but he has more to gain financially by propagating this fear of vaccines" Why does it bother you that he makes money? he should make billions every year if it means saving childrens lives. I have no problem with any organisation making money, I have a problem when profits become the primary focus and not our health. Also, Doc Darwin, feel free to keep inoculating your children when you admit that a bad batch of vaccines were withdrwn from the market place... I hope your children do not suffer like many other children you inculate and deny that its hurting them. Also you say you have read the opposing literature. Ok, what is that literature, why is it poor? Please explain? There have been thousands scientific articles that claims vaccine cause damage. Are you saying that they are all POOR? Please explain? I honestly believe that parents deserve more than this. If you can sincerly answer my questions, then I may consider vaccination. HOWEVER, thus far, it seems as though we do not have the answers...   At August 11, 2009 10:56 AM ,  bobby said... "That's what I mean when I say "no study has proven there's no link". How I should word it, however, is something like, "To date, the right type of study to really determine whether or not vaccines contribute to autism hasn't been done." That would be a more scientifically correct way to make the statement." I guess these inflammatory statements help you sell more books... The rest of us pediatricians offer vaccines in order to prevent disease, not because we are in a secret conspiracy with drug companies. We, unlike you, are not making money off the vaccine controversy/   At August 13, 2009 4:52 AM ,  NAJ FROM OZ said... BOBBY, what research as a pediatrician have you done other than what you have been indocttrinated to believe? Did you actually read the document that ADMITS that we have not done the research? Why are you soooooooo quick to jump down Dr Bobs throat when EVERYTHING he says is indeed FACTUAL. AND, the FACT is that he is actually not telling anyone NOT to vaccinate... AND its frustrating that you and others demean him for making money. WHY DON"T YOU DEMEAN THE DRUG COMPANIES FOR MAKING MONEY? As far as I am concerned, you are contradicting yourself as you don't care about the billions of dollars the drug companies make, but you care of what Dr Bob makes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.... Interesting indeed!!!!!   Post a Comment << Home   The 12 Childhood Vaccines Vaccine-preventable Diseases Boost Your Child's Immune System FAQs Parents Who Choose not to Vaccinate Current Outbreaks and Epidemics Vaccine Discussion Forum Read Dr. Bob's Online Interviews Updates & Corrections to The Vaccine Book Find a vaccine-friendly doctor near you Alternative Vaccine Schedule American Academy of Pediatrics 2007 Vaccine Schedule Vaccine News Vaccines and Autism Vaccines and their diseases

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