AP news wire--CDC press conference

[Guest guest]

Feds again dispute vaccine-autism link

7/19/2005, 8:20 p.m. ET

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government assembled some leading scientists

Tuesday to try again to lay to rest public suspicions that a mercury-

based preservative once used in childhood vaccines causes autism.

A day before parents who blame the chemical were to complain to

Congress, federal health officials stressed that the only childhood

vaccines that still contain the preservative are some, but not all,

flu shots — and that there's no credible evidence that it caused the

brain disorder anyway.

But they brought no new data to the unusual gathering that might

close the case on thimerosal.

" We don't know, unfortunately, for most kids with autism what causes

it, " said Dr. Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. " We are committed to getting answers. It's

not going to happen overnight. "

A scientist who also has a 12-year-old autistic daughter joined the

government in urging that the focus shift to hunting the real culprit

and a good treatment.

" We need a war on autism, not a war on childhood vaccines, " said Dr.

Hotez of Washington University, who said he may rail

against his daughter's grueling brain disorder but is sure that

it " had absolutely nothing to do with vaccines she received. "

Hotez is a microbiologist attempting to develop a vaccine against

hookworm, which attacks children in developing countries.

Autism is a complex developmental disorder best known for impairing a

child's ability to communicate and interact. Recent data suggest a 10-

fold increase in autism rates over the last decade, although it's

unclear how much of the surge reflects better diagnosis and how much

is a true rise.

Thimerosal has been used as a pharmaceutical preservative since the

1930s. Although the amount of mercury it contains is very small, it

was phased out of routine child vaccines as of 2001 because of

concern about increasing doses as babies received ever-more shots.

Studies tracking thousands of children have found no association

between autism and thimerosal, but critics say those studies are

flawed.

Today, the last childhood shot to contain the preservative is flu

vaccine. This fall, manufacturer Aventis Pasteur will provide 8

million thimerosal-free pediatric flu shots, double last year's

amount, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., has introduced legislation to speed

thimerosal's phase-out from flu vaccine, and parents' groups plan a

rally Wednesday to urge more study of thimerosal's past role.

" It's not surprising that some members of the public are left hanging

because they're not doing what they should do to look at the issue, "

said Sallie Bernard, co-founder of SafeMinds. " There's research they

(the government) could do that specifically looks at autistic kids

and mercury burden. "

The National Institutes of Health is funding a California researcher

to do that, part of $102 million in autism research this year, said

pediatric disease chief Dr. Duane .