Autism – Still Not Vaccines

I’m sure you’ve heard anti-vaccinationists claiming recently that the government conceded that vaccines cause autism. Of course, they did no such thing. As Orac wrote in David Kirby and the government "concession that vaccines cause autism": The incredible shrinking causation claim, the government merely conceded that vaccinations may have aggravated a child’s underlying mitochondrial disorder – with some of the child’s symptoms being similar to autism. This doesn’t mean the child is autistic, or that autism is caused by vaccines. Also, the “may have” rider tells us merely that the government chose to settle the case rather than go the prolonged and expensive route of a disputed court case. Since we know that (a) vaccines do occasionally harm a small number of patients, and (b) it clearly benefits the majority that we continuing vaccinating, it is entirely sensible and ethical to compensate possible victims the few times this happens. Such facts haven’t stopped bigots such as David “the debate will never be over” Kirby and his ilk.

Anyway, others have deconstructed this case much better than I. If you want to know the facts on this case, Orac has a post up with some of the best links covering this vaccine injury case / mercury / autism story, including posts of his own as well as posts from Steven Novella, Kevin Leitch and others.

Comments

[Techskeptic]

Whats really annoying is that the father himself, a neurologist, says himself that this is not about vaccines and autism.

I want to make it clear I am not anti–vaccine," he says. "Vaccines are one of the most important, if not the most important advance, in medicine in at least the past 100 years. But I don't think that vaccines should enjoy a sacred cow status, where if you attack them you are out of mainline medicine.

There is no medical treatment without risk. There is no action on the planet without risk. He was able to show a plausible link between the vaccine and this instance of someone with a genetic predisposition to problems, in fact this very thing could have happened if she had not gotten the vaccine and had gotten something else that challenged her immune system.

He points out in fact that with regard to scientific proof, and the proof in a courtroom, you are talking about apples and oranges.

"When you are talking about the courtroom versus science, the burden of proof is different,"

This is a pretty good summary.

[Techskeptic]

And here

[genewitch]

John Best is still lurking. He was on RI or PZ's site recently. just a head's up. :-)

Hilarious... I was just browsing the Mercola site and thought I'd share something of an "alternative" suggestion there.... wow! the anti-vacc. crowd took great offense to any suggestion that Jenny Macarthy is anything but a nobel-prize-worthy hero. (Vomit in my mouth). I'm already a minus 12 in the "quack points" system... lol

Check it out.

http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/How-Jim-Carrey-and-Jenny-McCarthy-s-Son-Recovered-From-Autism--59199.aspx