Reston Mom

Medical Journal retracts study linking measles vaccine to autism

Here is the CNN report.  It is always a sensitive thing to post about this topic these days and I want to be respectful of all parents and their desire to give the best care to their beloved children.  But, the retraction of this study is significant I think for a couple of reasons.

One, it is a fairly big deal for a medical journal to "fully retract (a) paper from the published record."

Secondly, the influence of the Wakefield study has been fairly significant - I can attest to the many times I have run across its referral in my own research or witnessed its direct and also sometimes indirect influence.  I read the Wakefield research years ago, this is not the first time it has been discredited.  As far as I have been aware, it has not held much esteem among valid research for quite a while, you could argue that it never really did.  Nevertheless, since it was published in 1998, the number of parents who are choosing not to vaccinate their children has rapidly grown.  I am not saying that this study is the sole catalyst for this, but it would be false to claim that it has not been a factor - the waves of this study, I feel, have been felt by many without really even being aware.  

And on a third note, no matter where you stand in your own personal convictions about vaccinations - there is always something to be said about research and the necessity of validating any research through strict, ethical, and unbiased standards, the challenges of doing that, and the impact of research and study on our society.  

vax-irate

This is the new word I've coined, silly as it may be.  If you've never read any reports on vaccinations or had super passionate mom friends, then you probably won't know what I'm talking about.  But here's what I've noticed: the topic of vaccinations is highly charged right now.  And that's fine...but what gets me is how really angry people can be - irate - on both sides.  If I'm reading about vaccines, I almost never read other people's comments anymore.  I just can't hear what people are saying for all the hormonally-charged,  finger-pointing, worked-up, angry accusations.  I mean really, if you want to make a point, do it calmly and intelligently.  I'm as opinionated as the next person - more so, I'd wager - but it amazes me how incendiary this topic is and the ridiculous way people handle themselves about it.  Go ahead, do a search and read some comments...you'll see what I mean.  If you are passionate about this topic, great! We should all be interested and passionate about research and health care and our children - and we should be willing to go to bat when necessary.  But there is a way to do that that is helpful, where people will actually listen to you, and you won't make yourself sound like an idiot. So, whether or not you vaccinate, please don't be vax-irate.  (And, gratefully, I haven't had any experience with this from readers to this blog so far, comments are welcome :)

Vaccinate your baby

If you hang around here long enough, you'll learn that generally I'm in favor of vaccinations.  Not everyone who reads here will be in agreement with me.  I do think that it is up to moms and dads to learn as much as they can from reliable sources and to make the best decisions that they can for their own children, and I applaud any person who does that even if we decide to care for our children differently.
If you are interested in the topic of vaccinations or seeking information, you will probably come across a lot of information on both sides of the topic.  Here is a place that I think might be helpful along the way...the site called Vaccinate Your Baby is sponsored by Every Child By Two and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
What I like about this site is it is easy to understand and gives you access to essential information, it gives you a good place to start with the research that has actually been conducted...I think whether you are for or against or undecided about vaccinations, this site may be a good jumping point for furthering your research.

more on vaccines and autism

I've posted a video of a CBS interview with former N.I.H. director Dr. Bernadine Healy.  You'll find a candid conversation about the lack of research to determine whether there is a link in some sub-groups of people between vaccines and autism.  This video has been circulating through various parenting blogs and I just wanted to make a particular comment; while I am in agreement with Dr. Healy and don't necessarily agree with what has been our Government's stance/approach to this area of research, I can understand that the position has been complicated and difficult.  Vaccine rates are already dropping due to various reasons including general discomfort by parents because of an overload of information and a lack of research.   However, if the government were to officially say with any kind of strong, authoritative statement that "some children are put at risk of developing autism in conjunction with vaccines" without fully understanding who those children are, it would in the meantime of conducting research, cause parents who don't know if their children fall into that category to certainly discontinue vaccinating their children to remove the possible risk.  I do agree that the government should do intense research on these hypotheses, but I also disagree with Dr. Healy when she says that she doesn't think it would scare the public. Being stuck in the unknown is already a source of fear and concern for many parents.  Having clear results following intensive research won't scare us and are a must, but how to handle this in the meantime is tricky.  Vaccines remain the number one effective strategy for wiping out serious epidemic diseases - the government is responsible to those children who may be at risk, but they are responsible for caring for a lot more than that too.  complete CBS story

rise in Measles

Recently the CDC reported the largest spike in measles cases since 2001.  Apparently there are two factors to consider regarding:  one factor may be, as the CDC reported, that the vaccinations are in some instances being given out of accordance with the recommended schedule which may inhibit the effectiveness and the other factor is the rise in the number of parents opting out of having their children vaccinated for various reasons.  Here are some interesting things to note:

• in the last 4 months, the CDC has reported 64 confirmed cases of measles in 9 states
• according to the ABC news report, "Of the 59 measles cases among U.S. residents, 21 of the people were between 16 months and 19 years old -- and 14 of them claimed vaccination exemptions due to religious or personal beliefs."
• according to the NY Times report, ""Before 1963, when the vaccine became available in this country, there were three million to four million cases of measles annually. The disease killed 400 to 500 children a year and put 48,000 in the hospital. The vaccine wiped out transmission here by 2000, but the disease can easily be imported because there are so many cases overseas.
• There is no cure for the measles, it can have horrible medical consequences, and worldwide, measles still kills 242,000 children a year.

Ask RESTONMOM - 3/13/08

Dear Restonmom,
"As a mom of an almost-12-year-old daughter, I've been really bothered by the TV commercials for Gardasil (the vaccine being promoted for young girls to guard against Human Papillomavirus). Several states currently have bills trying to make this a mandatory vaccine for girls entering 6th grade (with, in most, if not all cases a parental opt-out). I know you often address medical issues, and specifically vaccine related ones. I've been doing some research on it myself and was wondering if you had looked into this at all or had any thoughts on the topic." Jessi

Dear Jessi,
This is a great question and one that could be addressed from many angles.  For my readers who don't know, Gardasil is a vaccine recommended to girls from 9-26 years of age for the prevention of HPV, a disease which is transmitted sexually, and which may cause cervical cancer or other cancers. It is the most common STD, over 50% of all sexually active people acquire HPV at some point in their lives. The really great thing about this vaccine is that it is a huge medical breakthrough in preventative medicine against cancer - and that is amazing and worth celebrating.  The debatable issue is safety - as for now, it appears safe and lacks any evidence which really critically holds up against that.  However, being very new, there is much more research that needs to be done. The downside to this vaccination is that the disease it addresses is totally preventable with abstinence or in the context of a faithful marriage, and perhaps that is the issue upon which more attention and education should be applied.  As far as making the vaccine mandatory within schools, this may seem a new issue because of the targeted age....however, it is really quite in line with the already implemented practices of having elementary school children required to be vaccinated against certain infectious diseases such as measles.  The general idea is that by implementing mass vaccinations some diseases can eventually be completely eradicated or made to be extremely rare throughout large populations.  There are so many things we could talk about surrounding this topic, but I'll simply leave you all with a final story: I went to high school with a young woman who later fell in love and got married with the hopes of starting a family.  Sadly, she experienced a rape and she was infected by HPV. Due to the cancer, her chance of ever having children was lost.  Her cancer is terminal, and right now she is dying.  She is just 30 years old.

Dear Readers,  please feel free to comment with your own thoughts or feelings.

Can doctors be trusted?

I'm going to make an interesting comment and I'd love to hear your thoughts.  I've been seeing growing numbers of conversations about informed birth choices, natural birth, home births, using midwifes and doulas, and the high infant mortality rate in America as compared to some other countries and Ricky Lake's "The Business of Being Born." (which I haven't seen yet and hear is quite balanced) - as well as following the safety issues of vaccinations.  I'm really glad, actually, that good forums are being created to educate and help moms to make the safest, best choices for themselves and their babies.  I'll admit that America's health care system has some issues that need to be dealt with.  But, what I've also noticed in many of these conversations is that the doctors are becoming the scapegoat...often conversations are walking a fine line of subtly suggesting that doctors in general cannot be trusted, don't have patients best interests in mind, are misinformed, uninvolved and are just out to make money, etc.  I have known several doctors and nurses, including obstetricians and pediatricians who were amazing individuals who chose that line of work precisely because they do care for their patients and do a great job.  I think parents should make the decisions that are right for them and the safest for mom and baby, but I think it is such a shame when people are growing more and more scared to trust their physicians, often for unfounded reasons.

lots of interesting health news

First, I read this article about a ruling made in U.S. Court of Federal Claims which said that in a particular case, vaccines aggravated pre-existing factors to cause this child to regress into autism.  It is a good door opened which will hopefully bring about more research and help for children and comfort for parents who have been claiming this connection all along.
Then, I read this article about the numbers of measles cases in England and Wales jumping to a record high in the past few years, especially among traveling and religious communities where the vaccination uptake has been historically low. 
No wonder parents are confused and scared.  On the one hand, while the government still denies that there is any connection between vaccines and autism, a Federal Court has just ruled to give compensation and care in favor of the autistic child.  Certainly that is going to lend credibility to claims that there is a connection and bring added questions into the minds of parents.  On the other hand, there is still much proof that vaccinations remain the safest way to protect society against the spread of serious infectious diseases.  And even among individuals with a strong immune system. It can take up to ten days for your body to build the necessary components to successfully combat a disease it has never been exposed to before.  For some diseases, the damage that can be done in that amount of time is irreversible. And regardless of the outcome, no parent wants to watch their kid suffer miserably through illness.
Well, this is just a tip of the iceburg....conversations and controversies on both sides of the issue of vaccinations continue with equally long lists of factors and issues.  In the meantime, as we all struggle to make the best decisions we can, I pray for continued health for your children and for mine.

Should the show be canceled?

This topic seems to be hot right now and I hate to beat it into the ground, but to (I quote) "participate in what is a national conversation about a controversial subject", I'd love to hear your thoughts about this article regarding "The nation's largest pediatricians' group on Monday said ABC should cancel the first episode of a new series because it perpetuates the myth that vaccines can cause autism." 

Gardakill?

I read this post over at momlogic about some recent deaths and miscarriages in conjunction with the Gardasil cervical cancer vaccination.  But what I especially found interesting about it was this quote by OB/Gyn, Dr. Jennifer Ashton: "If a patient leaves a doctor's office after getting the vaccine and is killed in a car accident, that's reported as a vaccine related death. A death of any kind within a certain period of time after receiving the vaccine will always be reported as vaccine related."   Is that true? and if it is, well it's no wonder that it is so difficult to get true reliable statistics surrounding such topics.

study finds no link between thimerosal and autism

A California based study has found no link between thimerosal and autism. The rates of autism have continued to rise in CA despite the removal of mercury from vaccinations seven years ago.  Researchers are holding up the study as absolute evidence, but some parents are pointing out what they feel are flaws in the report - such as whether children were vaccinated outside of the U.S. or pregnant mothers received the mercury preservative through flu vaccinations.  Still, studies as far back as 2005 have shown no link between thimerosal and autism including some really great studies done in Japan and Canada.  This is the first U.S. study to show any hard evidence against any relationship.  Even so, many people still feel that there needs to be more research.  You can read the study here.  I, for one, am not opposed to continuing studies in this area...but I find it truly unfortunate that so much money and attention has had to go into disproving the connection between mercury and autism, when it could have been going toward treatment and research to help the growing number of people who do have autism.

The Vaccine Book

I hear this is a good resource and a pretty un-biased book.  I can't give you my personal opinion since I haven't read it yet, but since it is a pretty hot pick among moms right now, I figured I'd put it out there: The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears