Focus is now changing to genetic links...BD
LOS ANGELES - Autism cases in California continued to climb even after a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some people blame for the neurological disorder was removed from routine childhood shots, a new study found.
Researchers from the state Department of Public Health found the autism rate in children rose continuously during the 12-year study period from 1995 to 2007. The preservative thimerosal hasn't been used in childhood vaccines since 2001, but is used in some flu shots. Dr. Daniel Geschwind, a neurologist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the focus now should be on exploring the causes of autism such as possible genetic links.
To state that removing Thimersol has done nothing to lower the autism rate based on data from the California State Development Department is misleading and flawed. How many children born from 1995 to the present were never properly diagnosed by their pediatricians so were never referred to the department of developmental services and are therefore not in the database? Pediatricians did not start accurately diagnosing Autism until recently. What if the number of cases of children born is far greater than the number actually diagnosed and referred? That would mean there is a possibility that the numbers have come down since Thimersol was withdrawn in 2001.
ReplyDeleteMy son was born in September 1995. I thought he was "normal". In 2003 a neuro-pyschologist diagnosed my son with High Functioning Autism. He was never referred to the regional center and it is not in their database. How many more children are out there like my son?
Perhaps a researcher would be smart enough to look at the data of the Department of Education regarding the number of special ed students with autism or autistic-like symptoms. You might find a more accurate picture of how many children born from 1995 to 2001 have autism versus after 2001. But, keep in mind, this number will be deflated as well since school psychologists avoid diagnosing autism like the plague due to budget concerns for educating special ed students.
Colleen
So Cal