WJLA-ABC 7 Medical: Autism Study Prompts Debate

[Guest guest]

click on link for EVideo to watch news clip-

{{and send kathy Fowler a thank you!!!}}

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0306/309536.html

Saturday March 11, 2006 7:47pm Reporter: Kathy Fowler

WJLA Script-

Anchor:

TONIGHT, A NEW STUDY SHOWS A DRAMATIC DECREASE IN THE RATE OF AUTISM SINCE

MERCURY HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MOST CHILDHOOD VACCINES.

BUT THE WHOLE TOPIC OF CHILDHOOD VACCINES REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL, AS THE

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL DISPUTES THE STUDY. MEDICAL REPORTER KATHY FOWLER

JOINS US WITH A LOOK AT THIS STUDY.

Kathy Fowler:

LOCAL RESEARCHERS LOOKED AT THREE DIFFERENT FEDERAL AND STATE DATA BASES

TO DETERMINE WHAT THEY SAY IS ABSOLUTE PROOF THAT THIMEROSAL OR MERCURY IN

VACCINES HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR AN EPIDEMIC OF AUTISM IN THIS COUNTRY. BUT

THE CDC (website - news) CALLS THE STUDY MISLEADING. ONE LOCAL MOTHER SAYS ALL

SHE WANTS IS THE TRUTH.

Story:

VICKY DEBOLD SAYS SHE WILL NEVER FORGET THE DAY HER EIGHT-YEAR-OLD SON,

SAM, WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM. SHE IS CONVINCED THIS NEW STUDY IS MORE PROOF

THAT THIMEROSAL OR MERCURY IN HIS CHILDHOOD VACCINES PLAYED A ROLE. SHE NOTICED

GRADUAL CHANGES IN HIM WITHIN DAYS OF HIS SHOTS.

Vicky Debold: “As a parent and as someone with a doctorate in public

health, I think our CDC has failed us miserable. I'm not anti- vaccine but I am

definitely anti-mercury.”

ACCORDING TO LOCAL SCIENTISTS, WHO JUST PUBLISHED A STUDY IN THE JOURNAL

OF AMERICAN PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS, THERE HAS BEEN AN ALMOST 22 % DECREASE OF

REPORTED NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, INCLUDING AUTISM, SINCE MANUFACTURERS FIRST

STARTED TO REMOVE MERCURY FROM VACCINES.

MARK & DAVID GEIER STUDIED THREE DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT DATABASE'S INCLUDING

THE CDC'S OWN VACCINE ADVERSE EVENTS REPORTS TO TRACK THEIR RESULTS.

Geier: “We've used their own numbers to show autism was up and now

it's on the decline it directly mirrors the amount of mercury in the shots...”

THE CDC SAYS ITS DATABASE WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE USED AS A SCIENTIFIC TOOL

ALTHOUGH CDC DOCTORS HAVE USED THE EXACT SAME DATA BASE TO PUBLISH THEIR OWN

STUDIES ON VACCINES.

THE CDC INSISTS NO STUDIES HAVE PROVEN A DEFINITIVE LINK BETWEEN MERCURY,

VACCINES, AND AUTISM. THIS IS THE SAME STANCE IT’S TAKEN FOR AT LEAST SEVEN

YEARS.

Vicky Debold: “I truly believe that sooner or later the truth will come

out. And as a parent of an affected child that's all I care about. I don’t' care

about making the CDC pay.”

SAM IS DOING WELL AT HOME AND AT HIS OAKTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AFTER YEARS

OF MUSIC THERAPY AND NUMEROUS ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR AUTISM.

Vicky Debold: “He's a delightful child and he's just the love of our life

and it just killed me to see what happened and it's just so exhausting to keep

fighting the fight. "

Kathy Fowler on Set:

THE CDC SAYS IT'S TRYING TO ORDER MORE FLU SHOTS WITHOUT MERCURY, FOR NEXT

YEAR, BUT IS CONCERNED ABOUT SHORTAGES. HOWEVER, THE U.S.'S LARGEST VACCINE

MANUFACTURER SAYS IT COULD MAKE MORE MERCURY-FREE VACCINES BUT IN YEARS PAST

THERE HASN'T BEEN MUCH OF A DEMAND IN THE U.S.

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The Associated Press may have contributed to this report.