Epidemiological Autism Studies: Why parents of children with autism are so
upset!--- F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP

http://www.autismautoimmunityproject.org/upset.html

The Peltola Studies were funded in part by Merck & Co

The Taylor Studies were commissioned by the Medicines Control Agency of
the UK Department of Health.

The Kaye Study had no specific funding. James A Kaye is an epidemiologist
at the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, which is supported
in part by grants from AstraZeneca, Berlex Laboratories, Boehringer
Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Boots Healthcare International, Bristol-Myers
Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, GlaxoWellcome, Hoffmann-La
Roche, Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, R W Johnson Pharmaceutical Research
Institute; McNeil Consumer Products, and Novartis Farmaceutica.

The Dales Study: Loring Dales works for the California Department of
Health Services.

The Meldgaard Madsen Study, the just-released study from Denmark, was
co-funded by the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The above ?feel-good studies? about the safety of the MMR vaccine have
enchanted the vaccine authorities. CDC?s Chen described the Peltola
publication and Taylor?s first study in superlative terms, the British
vaccine hierarchy assured everyone that the MMR is safe and the vaccine
supporters on both sides of the Atlantic thought the Kaye and Dales
studies were wonderful. Dales applauded the Danes and Taylor applauded
himself by stating that his second paper was the ?final? word.

Not surprisingly, the earlier studies failed to fully reassure the public
that the MMR is totally safe.  They also failed to convince the parents of
affected children that the MMR had no role in the present autism epidemic.
The impact of the latest study from Denmark, which ?provides strong
evidence against the hypothesis that MMR vaccination causes autism?, has
yet to be felt, but it is likely that interested parties will be
commissioning and financing more ?final?  studies in the future.

The parents who have watched their normal children sink into autism
shortly after MMR vaccination do not believe that it is ?just a
coincidence?. Specific pathological findings in the gut, evidence of
vaccine-strain measles, elevated IAG / urinary polypeptides levels, and
positive Myelin Basic Protein antibody tests are impressive objective
findings. Claiming that they mean nothing because of data no one can
check, or conclusions proved erroneous with time, only adds insult to
injury.  Honest, unbiased, and scientific studies, which actually LOOK at
the children, and the biological, cellular, molecular, toxic and immune
aspects of their medical illness, are urgently needed.  Talking to parents
is also a great idea!  Now, that kind of research will be well worth the
money. 

 F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP, TL Autism Research, Falmouth,
Massachusetts.