Letters, Sunday Times 17 June 2001

http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/

GIVEN the current holier than holy status of vaccines, it was brave of you to publish Autism 'linked to mercury vaccine' (News, May 27). It makes life for parents of autistic children more bearable that somebody will give the other side under the onslaught of propaganda from the government and medical establishment.

I am the father of a 3½-year-old boy who regressed after his MMR. We lost him into a void from being an advanced 15-month-old baby. We could not accept Swiss doctors' diagnosis that it was psychological and found other parents (also unable to accept government rhetoric) who were trying other things.

We have done endless medical testing for our son and have found he has grossly elevated MMR antibodies, bowel problems, chronic candida and many other disfunctions which the medical establishment refuses to acknowledge that most autistics have, let alone that they are linked to autism. We are currently using chelation therapy to remove mercury and other toxins and so far are getting good improvements.

Paul O'Neill
Geneva, Switzerland

BAN: There appears to be an important reason to ban any vaccines with thiomersal immediately. As a nurse I worked in a vaccination centre; when my sons were small, I went with the flow. It was not until my third son was born that I recognised the link between their health problems and the vaccinations. In my homeopathic practice, I often see "never been well since vaccination".

There is a huge financial investment in vaccination from the drug companies and doctors are paid to keep up the vaccination schedule. Please continue your investigations.

Kerry Larkman
Long Ditton, Surrey