By Jon S. Poling
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/11/08

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has recently upgraded autism to "an urgent health threat." The most contentious issue of the autism debate is the link to routine childhood vaccines. My daughter's case, Hannah Poling v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has changed this debate forever. Hannah has pointed us in a new and promising direction -- the mitochondria.

On Nov. 9, 2007, HHS medical experts conceded through the Department of Justice that Hannah's autism was triggered by nine childhood vaccinations administered when she was 19 months of age. This concession was granted without any courtroom proceedings or expert testimony, effectively preventing any public hearing discussing what happened to Hannah and why. Contrary to some reports, the Special Masters, "judges" who preside over the "vaccine court," did not issue a decision.

Four months later, on March 6, with trepidation my wife, Terry, and I stepped forward to announce this news -- providing hope and awareness to other families. The HHS expert documents that led to this concession and accompanying court documents remain sealed, though our family has already permitted release of Hannah's records to those representing the almost 5, 000 other autistic children awaiting their day in vaccine court.

Mitochondria key

To understand Hannah's case, it is important to understand mitochondria, which act like batteries in our cells to produce energy critical for normal function. Because the government's concession hinged on the presence of Hannah's underlying medical condition, mitochondrial dysfunction, some claim the decision is relevant to very few other children with autism. As a neurologist, scientist and father, I disagree.

Emerging evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may not be rare at all among children with autism. In the only population-based study of its kind, Portuguese researchers confirmed that at least 7.2 percent, and perhaps as many as 20 percent, of autistic children exhibit mitochondrial dysfunction. While we do not yet know a precise U.S. rate, 7.2 percent to 20 percent of children does not qualify as "rare." In fact, mitochondrial dysfunction may be the most common medical condition associated with autism

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Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey invite you to the Green Our Vaccines rally on June 4th in Washington DC.

More info.

The U.S. government has now gone on the record saying that childhood vaccines can contribute to the symptoms of autism. They have then backtracked and stated that there is no association.

So which is it?

Well, by the time your child starts school he or she will have received more than 36 injections, including four doses each of vaccines for Hemophilus influenzae type b infections, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis -- all of them given during the first 12 months of life.

And by then it may be too late for the CDC to make up their mind about whether or not vaccines can be dangerous.

In 1976, children received 10 vaccines before attending school, and in the early 1980s, the incidence of autism was 1 in 10,000 births. Today it is 1 in 150 births and still climbing.

Is there a connection between autism and vaccines? I'd say so. And a pretty obvious one at that. If you are interested in the science behind this connection, Dr. Russell Blaylock has written an excellent paper that provides a connection between excessive vaccination and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism that is definitely worth reading.

Continue reading Dr. Mercola's comments.

On Monday, doctors reported discovering the first such germ that is resistant to all drugs approved to treat childhood ear infections. Nine toddlers in Rochester, N.Y., have had the bug and researchers say it may be turning up elsewhere, too.

It is a strain of strep bacteria not included in the pneumococcal vaccine, Wyeth's Prevnar, which came on the market in 2000. It is recommended for children under age 2.

Doctors say parents should continue to have their toddlers get the shots because the vaccine prevents serious illness and even saves lives. But the new resistant strep is a worry.

"The best way to prevent these resistant infections from spreading is to be careful about how we use antibiotics," said Dr. Cynthia Whitney, chief of respiratory diseases at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Avoiding antibiotics when they are not needed is the best way to ensure they will work when they are, she said.

Prevnar prevents seven strains responsible for most cases of pneumonia, meningitis and deadly bloodstream infections. But dozens more strep strains exist, and some have flourished and become impervious to antibiotics since the vaccine combats the more common strains.

If the new strains continue to spread, "it tells us the vaccine is becoming less effective" and needs to be revised, said Dr. Dennis Maki, infectious diseases chief at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospitals and Clinics.

Wyeth anticipated this and is testing a second- generation vaccine. But it is at least two years from reaching the market, and the new strains could become a public health problem in the meantime if they spread hard-to-treat infections through day care centers and schools.

"I don't think the new strains are moving fast enough to call it a race, but the fact is that certain strains are increasing," said Peter Paradiso, a scientist at Wyeth Vaccines, the Collegeville, Pa., division that makes Prevnar.

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"No one could suspect the living nightmare that held her captive," said her mother, Sara DiFucci, a co- coordinator of the Chicago chapter of Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), which provides resources for families with autism. "It still pains me to think of that time in her life."

Autism, the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the nation, strikes at least 1 in 150 children. It has no cure; stories of "recovered" children are the exception and fuel for a heated debate over how - and even whether - children should be treated.

But parents such as DiFucci, who have watched their children regress into autism (and then make stunning improvements after undergoing alternative and mainstream therapies) are promoting the controversial idea that autistic symptoms can be improved.

Diet changes

The force behind the fledgling recovery movement is California-based TACA, which burst onto the national scene after landing celebrity Jenny McCarthy as its spokeswoman. TACA arms parents with information on topics frequently rejected by mainstream doctors and dismissed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, such as starting a wheat- and dairy-free diet (also known as gluten- and casein-free) and using other "biomedical" approaches such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chelation to remove heavy metals, supplements, vitamins and minerals.

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In February, I leaked news of the Federal government's admission that vaccines had triggered autism in a little girl named Hannah Poling. The stunning revelation, though still reverberating around the world, was roundly downplayed by US officials, who insisted that Hannah had an extremely rare, genetic case of "aggravated" mitochondrial disorder, with zero bearing on other autism cases.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rushed to the airwaves, exhorting parents to adhere the nation's intensive and virtually mandatory immunization schedule, and brushing off their legitimate anxieties by saying: "We've got to set aside this very isolated, unusual situation."

Well, the days of setting aside are over: Hannah Poling is neither isolated nor unusual.

In fact, the boy who was selected to replace Hannah Poling as the first-ever thimerosal "test case" in so- called Vaccine Court, has just been found with many of the same unusual metabolic markers as, you guessed it, Hannah Poling.

Hannah's case was scheduled to be heard in Federal Claims Court on May 12 -- as one of three "test cases" of the theory that thimerosal (a mercury-based vaccine preservative) can cause autism.

Test cases will help address general causation issues in all 4,900 autism claims now pending in Vaccine Court. But following the government concession, Hannah was withdrawn as the first test case of the thimerosal theory, and attorneys scrambled to find a replacement: a young boy from New York.

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A newly published study of Texas school district data and industrial mercury-release data, conducted by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, indeed shows a statistically significant link between pounds of industrial release of mercury and increased autism rates. It also shows-for the first time in scientific literature-a statistically significant association between autism risk and distance from the mercury source.

"This is not a definitive study, but just one more that furthers the association between environmental mercury and autism," said lead author Raymond F. Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor of family and community medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. The article is in the journal Health & Place.

Dr. Palmer, Stephen Blanchard, Ph.D., of Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio and Robert Wood of the UT Health Science Center found that community autism prevalence is reduced by 1 percent to 2 percent with each 10 miles of distance from the pollution source.

"This study was not designed to understand which individuals in the population are at risk due to mercury exposure," Dr. Palmer said. "However, it does suggest generally that there is greater autism risk closer to the polluting source."

The study should encourage further investigations designed to determine the multiple routes of mercury exposure. "The effects of persistent, low-dose exposure to mercury pollution, in addition to fish consumption, deserve attention," Dr. Palmer said. "Ultimately, we will want to know who in the general population is at greatest risk based on genetic susceptibilities such as subtle deficits in the ability to detoxify heavy metals."

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Pediatricians care for children with autism and their families every day. They are passionate advocates on behalf of these families and recognize that autism is a significant challenge to the health of the nation's children. Pediatricians emphasize that early diagnosis is critical. The AAP promotes regular screening for autism at the appropriate well-child visits, as well as treatments tailored to meet the needs of an individual child. In 2007, the AAP published the Autism Toolkit, which includes clinical guidance to help pediatricians identify and manage children with autism, to refer them to therapeutic services, and to provide parents with information and resources. The AAP also offers a host of resources for parents on its Web site, www.aap.org.

"We know many parents are searching for answers," said AAP President Renee R. Jenkins, MD, FAAP. "The AAP has supported research into the causes of autism and will continue to do so."

Pediatrics, the Academy's peer-reviewed, scientific journal, has included dozens of studies on the associated factors, management and impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The AAP recognizes the best way to address the needs of children with autism and children overall is through a partnership among pediatricians, parents and researchers. The AAP has met with leaders of advocacy groups, such as Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America, which include parents of children with autism. Most recently, the AAP met with representatives of Defeat Autism Now! (a program of the Autism Research Institute) in an effort to facilitate communication between pediatricians, parents and researchers about the diagnosis and treatment of children with autism. All advocates for these children agree that further research is needed regarding causes as well as safe and effective treatment.

"We are pleased the AAP reached out recently to Defeat Autism Now! in order to better understand the treatments and interventions that we have found beneficial to children with autism," said Stan Kurtz, executive council member of Defeat Autism Now! "We are full of hope that this is the beginning of a thoughtful partnership that will further explore factors that might cause or contribute to autism, as well as examine safe and effective treatment approaches for families coping with this condition."

"Autism is a challenge for pediatricians, their patients and families. By working together, we stand the best chance of helping these children to realize their full potential," Dr. Jenkins said. "The Academy is committed to working with researchers and treatment groups like Defeat Autism Now! to get closer to finding answers to the multiple causes of autism and determining effective therapies."

TACA of Los Angeles

TACA's Marriage and Family Counseling Group has expanded to an additional site in Los Angeles! The L.A. group is funded by TACA and is free to TACA families.

• Group size: Limited to five couples
• Group time and dates: Friday evenings, 7:30 - 9 p.m. (May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and June 6)
• Location: The Los Angeles Group office location is at 864 So. Robertson, LA (between Wilshire and Olympic)
• Registration: Please call Tom Brauner, Ph.D 310-200-1953 or Susan Gonzales 310-770-5009 for more information and to register.

TACA of Orange County

TACA's Marriage and Family Counseling Group Orange County is funded through Regional Center of Orange County. There is no cost to TACA families.

• Group size: Limited to five couples
• Group time and dates: Monday Evenings, 7:30 - 9 p.m. (May 5, 12, 19, 26 and June 2, 9, 16, 23)
• Location: Office location is in Irvine at the corner of MacArthur Blvd & Jamboree Road, adjacent to the 73 freeway.
• Registration: Please contact Susan Gonzales, LCSW or Karen Cladis, LMFT for more information and to register.

Important notes:

• TACA began this couples group in Orange County due to funding received and professionals with experience with autism. Due to previous funding and group reports, additional funding has become available allowing us to expand.
• Couples will be asked for a commitment to attend the six weeks (LA group), eight weeks (Orange County) of sessions and to complete questionnaires prior to and after the completion of sessions.
• Each couple will meet prior to first session with group leaders to discuss their goals.
• First come, first serve - please sign up as soon as possible before availability is gone.
• You must be a TACA member and have a child with autism to apply for this program.
• Couples are required to attend together to qualify.
• No shows on the first date of counseling will lose their spot in the program to the first people on the wait list.
• No changes on meeting dates or times can be made - sorry. Please check your schedule before committing to this program.

Special thanks to TACA's anonymous sponsor for helping us start this important program.

News Stories about the landmark Federal Court case

Scientific Studies about autism, mercury and mitochondrial dysfunction

ALL Autism Studies & Related Medical Conditions (pdf)

Understanding the Hannah Poling Concession Misconceptions in the Press