DC Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog

All too often, we find that clients have not been provided with complete information and, as a result, have not been given the opportunity to make informed decisions with regard to their own care or the care of a loved one. According to Generation Rescue, a nonprofit organization formed by parents of children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disorders, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has minimized or attempted to conceal the association between childhood vaccines and autism. On April 6, 2006, Generation Rescue launched a website, www.PutChildrenFirst.org, and placed a full page advertisement in USA Today with regard to its allegations and the basis for them. Many parents and scientists believe that autism and other neurological disorders, including Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and sensory integration disorder, are caused by the toxic metal mercury, a key ingredient in a vaccine preservative called thimerosal. Through the Freedom of Information Act, parents of autistic children obtained numerous internal documents from CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Institute of Medicine, and the U.S. Congress regarding this connection between vaccines and autism. According to Generation Rescue, one such document is an email and spreadsheet from a CDC epidemiologist showing an extremely high correlation between mercury received through vaccines and autism, with the researcher writing that the correlation "just won't go away." Another is a transcript from a meeting held by CDC during which health officials reported that "the number of dose-related relationships [between thimerosal and autism] are linear and statistically significant" and that CDC's data should be kept out of "less responsible hands."

During the last decade, CDC, as the agency responsible for the National Immunization Program, dramatically increased the number of recommended immunizations for children, nearly tripling the amount of mercury injected into children and grossly exceeding federal safety standards. During this period, rates of autism also dramatically increased, and Generation Rescue reports that more than 1 in 150 children are currently diagnosed with autism, as compared to 1 in 10,000 in the 1970s.

Autism is a "pervasive developmental disorder," a group of conditions involving delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize or form relationships with others, to communicate, and to use imagination. Children with these disorders often are confused in their thinking and generally have problems understanding the world around them. Many children with autism also have a limited range of interests, and the vast majority also has mental retardation. In many cases, children with autism are unable to emotionally bond with their parents or other family members. Although it has long been believed that autism was not curable or treatable, Generation Rescue reports tremendous improvement and recovery among thousands of autistic children through alternative treatments that remove mercury from the body.

For more information on these matters, see Generation Rescue. To learn about autism in general, please see the websites of the National Autism Association and the Center for the Study of Autism.