Top autism organization, officials tied to vaccine company

In a May 20th Congressional hearing titled “Examining the Federal Response to Autism Spectrum Disorders,” it was revealed that 84% of 1200 autism projects conducted over a five-year period had the potential to be duplicative, while some objectives were not funded by any government agency, leaving gaps in research.

Congressman Bill Posey

This information came as no surprise to Congressman Bill Posey who asked tough questions of Dr. Tom Insel – brother to a former vaccine developer and Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. IACC is a federal committee that advises on allocation of funding for autism research. Posey accused IACC of obstructing environmental research (which would include studying vaccination as a cause of autism), while allowing genetic research to be funded at 3-fold the recommendation in IACC’s own strategic plan. Although Insel conceded that virtually no expert would doubt that environmental factors are important for autism, he still maintained that the disproportionate funding for genomic research was justified.

Insel had one staunch defender. Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia lambasted the critique of the IACC and the federal autism projects. In 2009, Connolly was featured in a television commercial for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), pushing both the H1N1 and seasonal flu shots, which were later revealed to be associated with an unprecedented spike in the number of miscarriages in the U.S. reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Vaccine industry watchdog Dr. Brian Hooker expressed dismay that Dr. Insel stated an interest in partnering with the vaccine industry’s lead spokesman Dr. Paul Offit – developer of Merck’s Rota Teq vaccine. Insel praised the non-profit, “Autism Science Foundation,” which lists Offit as secretary/treasurer in its 2012 990 form. According to Hooker, “ASF promotes the vaccine industry’s agenda while posing as an autism charity. The red flag is that it expressly excludes research from being funded that examines a vaccine-autism link. What could be more anti-science than to exclude a line of scientific inquiry? It will be a tragic farce if ASF receives tax dollars.”

Dr. Hooker, a PhD biochemist, was also contemptuous of Autism Speaks being cited by Insel as a potential research partner. “The world’s largest autism charity has not only aligned with pharmaceutical interests, it actively encourages autism families to have their children vaccinated with a mercury-containing flu shot without educating them about the ‘mercury-free’ option,” said Hooker.

It has been over a decade since former Senator Dan Burton – grandfather to a severely autistic boy who regressed into autism following his childhood vaccines - presided over the historic 2003 Congressional report that concluded, "Our public health agencies' failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self- protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry."

Barry Segal, whose foundation sponsors the work of several scientists including Dr. Hooker, said “The next hearing is pivotal. We can’t move forward until Brian Hooker is given the opportunity to testify about CDC malfeasance. As long as the truth remains buried in the CDC’s whitewashed studies, future research will be based on the false assumption that there is no vaccine/autism link.”

Brian Hooker, PhD, PE, has 15 years experience in the field of bioengineering and is an associate professor at Simpson University where he specializes in biology and chemistry. His over 50 science and engineering papers have been published in internationally recognized, peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Hooker has a son, aged 16, who developed normally, but then regressed into autism after receiving Thimerosal-containing vaccines.

The Focus Autism Foundation is dedicated to providing information to the public that exposes the cause or causes of the autism epidemic and the rise of chronic illnesses – focusing specifically on the role of vaccinations. To learn more, visit focusautisminc.org. A Shot of Truth is an educational campaign sponsored by Focus Autism.

For more information about A Shot of Truth go to http://www.ashotoftruth.org  

Catalogue of Science on Vaccine Safety

Sourcing scientific research and information about the safety of vaccines got a bit easier with the launch of a new Catalogue of Science containing nearly 200 research studies and other scientific documents never before assembled in one place.  Featuring 14 categories with links to abstracts and full text of studies published in peer-reviewed journals, the Catalogue makes it easy for parents and medical professionals alike to connect the dots and navigate the science exploring vaccines. The Catalogue debuted at www.greatergoodmovie.org, and is a cornerstone of the new website for the awarding-winning documentary film THE GREATER GOOD. 
Filmmakers Leslie Manookian, Kendall Nelson and Chris Pilaro spent over five years researching and making the film, which follows three families personally impacted by vaccination.  Manookian collected research sourced for the film and many additional scientific works to create the Catalogue, which will be updated on an ongoing basis as new information becomes available.

“When discussing the issue of vaccines, people often say ‘Show me the science’.  But as we learned while researching our documentary, the science can be difficult to find.  We’re committed to providing critical scientific research missing from the popular discourse on vaccines, and have brought together dozens of critical pieces on an array of topics to help people become better informed,” Manookian said.

The new website, launching just in time for Vaccine Awareness Week also includes a suite of tools for hosting community screenings and a discussion guide with tips for facilitating conversations on the often challenging topic of vaccine safety.  The film can be streamed online at the site, and visitors can buy a New Parent Gift Box, which includes a DVD of the film and other great gifts for expectant parents. Also available on the new website are fact sheets including an FAQ and a ‘Fact Check’ which provides links to sources for all the information in the film, for which the filmmakers interviewed experts from all sides of the issue. (A full list of experts is available at http://www.greatergoodmovie.org/about-the-film/experts-in-the-film/ )

“We hope the film will inspire more rational discussions about vaccinations, and serve as a resource for parents, physicians, policy makers and others who want to participate intelligently in the heated national dialogue on vaccines and vaccine safety,” said Kendall Nelson, Producer/Writer of THE GREATER GOOD.

More information and a tour of the Catalogue of Science is available at www.greatergoodmovie.org and the film can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greatergoodmovie, and as @greatergoodfilm on Twitter.

CDC to Pull Plug on Meningitis Vaccine

In the wake of dropping meningitis rates in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) appear to be reconsidering their cost-effectiveness analysis of meningitis vaccines. The CDC historically never has chosen to not recommend a vaccine for children that has been approved by the FDA. In this case ACIP seems to be hesitating to recommend the vaccine because of cost. 

The CDC in its 2010 Recommended Immunization Schedule suggests 38 doses of vaccine before a child reaches 18 months. According to Dr. Mayer Eisenstein, the schedule is so crowded that doctors sometimes give babies up to eight vaccines at once. 

Make an Informed Vaccine Decision for the Health of Your Child, a parent's guide Mayer Eisenstein, MD, is available at Amazon.