Health Impact News Editor Comments:
Members of the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA), along with parents and children who received federal vaccine injury compensation, held a press conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday (5/10/2011) announcing a study published in the Pace Environmental Law Review that looked at actual cases of brain injuries due to vaccines that were compensated in the government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The study found 83 cases (and still counting) of autism, showing that the government has known about the autism – vaccine link for many years now, due to the millions of dollars awarded to parents for these brain injuries.
The parents at the press conference, along with EBCALA law center, are calling on Congress to open up an investigation into this alleged cover-up immediately. They claim that the cases uncovered by this study are just the “tip of the iceberg” and that many parents of vaccine-damaged children are not being compensated at all.
All of the parents at the press conference stated that they were NOT anti-vaccine. The purpose for them coming forward at this time is to stand up for the vaccine injured. They claim the government is ignoring the problems by denying the vaccine – autism link, while at the same time admitting there is an autism epidemic in the U.S. One of the parents present (see interview below), Dr. Sarah Bridges, stated that in the 11 years since her son was awarded compensation due to brain injury, not once has anyone contacted them to find out how the child was doing, or to use their case for further study as to why some children suffer autism and brain damage due to vaccines.
Here is the archived press conference:
UPDATE 5/16/2011
Dr. Hoffman spoke with Attorney and advocate for vaccine safety, Mary Holland, Director of the Gradulate Legal Skills Program at NYU School of Law to discuss the highly controversial debate over vaccinations in children and their recent press conference. Dr. Hoffman and Mrs. Holland covered the many cases of parents who’ve filed suit in cases of children having autism and the link, or lack there of, to vaccinations. Listen to the archived program here.
UPDATE 5/13/2011
From the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy Facebook Page: “We were gratified that congressional staff came to the briefing and asked very good questions about the VICP. We need your help to continue to pressure your Congressional reps to move forward with an investigation into the VICP. We will be in touch soon with more ideas about what you can do.”
UPDATE 5/11/2011
SUCCESS! Congress to hold hearings Thursday on Vaccine – Autism link
Fox 25 in Boston has reported that Congress will hold hearings Thursday regarding the vaccine autism link as a result of a new study published in the Pace Environmental Law Review yesterday. In the interview below, Dr. Richard Deth, a Ph.D professor of pharmacology at Northeastern University, states that there is clear evidence of a link between vaccines and autism in some children, and that these cases are not being examined. When questioned on the CDC position that there are no links, Dr. Deth replied that the CDC has an agenda that could motivate them to cover up the evidence. Watch the interview below:
Vaccine-autism link: New investigation: MyFoxBOSTON.com
Age of Autism:
Ask Your Senator and Congressperson to Send a Staff Member to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Breakfast Briefing on 5/12
Click here to send a letter/email to your Representatives and Senators: Action Alert EZ Email Version
The authors of the article, “Unanswered Questions from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury, ” published in the peer-reviewed Pace Environmental Law Review, vol. 28, no. 2, will discuss their findings that associate vaccine injury and autism.
The article, released on Tuesday, May 10, is a first-of-its-kind investigation, providing critical information for legislators and staff on the Congressionally-created Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
The authors will also be prepared to discuss the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent Bruesewitz v. Wyeth decision, which preempts all vaccine injury claims associated with vaccine design defect from civil court.
RSVP to bclay@dc-strategy.com or text/call: 202-498-4461
UPDATE 5/10/2011: Foxnews interviewed Mary Holland of New York University of Law about today’s Press Release (video below). We have been monitoring the press coverage (which is not much!), and most of it is negative and ridiculing the parents and authors of the study. Outside of Fox News, here is a attempt at a fair report from Medscape: Anti-Vaccine Proponents Claim Court Paid for Autism Cases – although the title is misleading as are some of the things reported. For a good response from one of the author’s of the study, see here.
Government program has been quietly paying awards to vaccine-injured children with autism for two decades but continues to deny vaccine-autism link. SafeMinds calls for immediate Congressional investigations.
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2011
For over 20 years, the federal government has publicly denied a vaccine-autism link, while at the same time its Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has been awarding damages for vaccine injury to children with brain damage, seizures and autism. A new investigation, based on verifiable government data, breaks ground in the controversial vaccine-autism debate. The investigation found that a substantial number of children compensated for vaccine injury also have autism and that such cases have existed since 1989, the year after the VICP was formed.
SafeMinds’ Executive Director, Lyn Redwood, RN, MSN comments, “This study dramatically shifts the debate on autism and vaccines. The question is no longer, Can vaccines cause autism? The answer is clear. Now, we have to ask, How many cases of autism have vaccines caused and how do we prevent new injuries from occurring?” The government has asserted that it “does not track” autism among the vaccine-injured. SafeMinds responds that not looking is the easiest way not to find something. SafeMinds is calling for immediate federal research into the mechanisms of injury in these children in an effort to protect other children from harm and Congressional action to reform the VICP.
The peer-reviewed study looked at cases of vaccine injury that have been monetarily compensated by the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. It was published today in the Pace Environmental Law Review. The study investigated approximately 1300 cases of childhood brain injury as a result of vaccines in which the Special Masters ruled for the plaintiffs, looking for references to autism, symptoms of autism or disorders commonly associated with autism. It reports that twenty-one cases actually stated “autism or autism-like symptoms” in the court records. The researchers then identified and contacted 150 more compensated families to find out whether the children had autism. They were able to find an additional 62 cases (greater than 40% of their sample) for a total of 83 cases of autism. In 39 cases (47%) there was confirmation of autism beyond parental report.
The federal government has called autism a “national health emergency,” conservatively affecting 1 in 110 children and costing the country billions of dollars each year. If a portion of autism cases are vaccine-induced and there is evidence that officials have been “looking the other way,” this cannot be tolerated. The VICP’s recent attempt to dismiss the over 5000 cases in the Omnibus Autism Proceedings is suspect in light of these new findings based on its own records.
SafeMinds calls on Congress to fully investigate the VICP, the only forum in which parents may bring claims of vaccine injury on behalf of their children.
To download the study, “Unanswered Questions from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury” – click here.
Fox News interview with parent Dr. Sarah Bridges. Her son developed autism as a result of a vaccine, and was compensated by the government.
Press Release today from National Autism Association:
Study Reveals 83 Individuals with Autism Quietly Compensated by Federal Vaccine Injury Court
National Autism Association Calls for Immediate Congressional and Scientific Investigation Into Autism-Vaccine Link
NIXA, Mo., May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Despite numerous studies cited repeatedly by federal officials as proof that vaccines do not cause autism, a new study released today in the Pace Environmental Law Review revealed that over the last two decades, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) has been quietly compensating dozens of vaccine injury cases involving a child with autism. The preliminary findings showed approximately 1300 cases of vaccine injury resulted in childhood brain injury, 83 of which had autism. The National Autism Association (NAA) says the study further underscores the need for Congressional hearings and independent scientific research into the autism-vaccine connection.
The only product liability-protection program of its kind, NVICP was established in the late 80s to act as a taxpayer-funded “no-fault” alternative in seeking medical care compensation for those with proven vaccine injuries. Since that time, the government has only publicly conceded to one vaccine-induced autism case involving nine-year-old Hannah Poling, but maintained Poling’s case was “rare” and did not result in autism, but “autism-like symptoms.” Based on the new report, however, the program has compensated far more cases involving a diagnosis of autism. “They’ve essentially taken the wordplay approach,” states NAA President Wendy Fournier. “For an unavoidable vaccine-autism case like Hannah Poling’s, the government chose to downplay the connection using semantics. In the 83 cases found in this investigation, the government maintains that vaccines caused ‘encephalopathy’ (brain damage) and/or ‘residual seizure disorder’ in these children with autism, but not the autism.”
During a press conference held in Washington today, authors of the study called these preliminary findings “the tip of the iceberg.” They feel hundreds of autism cases have been settled quietly by the government. Thousands more were never filed. There are currently over 5,000 vaccine court cases pending that claim autism as a result of vaccine injury. To date, with the exception of the concession of Hannah Poling’s case, none of these claims have been successful. ”The NVICP appears to favor cases without any reference to autism,” Fournier added. ”The message is clear, if you want to receive financial support for the long-term medical care of your loved one injured by vaccines, submit a claim for brain damage, or residual seizure disorder – but leave autism out of it.”
NAA believes these findings call into serious question the continued assertion from federal health agencies that vaccines do not cause autism. ”As this study shows, vaccines can and do cause brain damage and subsequent autism in certain children,” said Fournier. “The government has been settling these cases for over twenty years, yet has failed to conduct research into why these children were susceptible to vaccine injury. This neglect will continue to needlessly and senselessly result in adverse reactions and autism in other children.”
Recently, the federal government called autism—now affecting an estimated one in 110 individuals—a “national health emergency.” To learn more about autism, visit nationalautism.org.
Wendy Fournier (Portsmouth, RI) 401-835-5828
Lori McIlwain (Cary, NC) 919-741-1646
SOURCE National Autism Association
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