Congress Asked to Investigate Vaccine Safety

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Congress Asked to Investigate Vaccine Safety

Coalition claims 'suppression of science' by government health agencies

By Jim Fogarty, Epoch Times http://is.gd/97UCl

A group concerned with the safety of vaccinations is calling on Congress

to investigate government health agencies for failing to fully address vaccine

safety issues mandated by the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury

Compensation Act.

In a letter, the Coalition for Vaccine Safety (CVS) asked for hearings to

investigate specific agencies and others for not meeting the safety requirements

specified in the Compensation Act's " Mandate for Safe Vaccines. " The letter was

sent to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of both House and Senate committees

responsible for overseeing the agencies in question—the Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

" In light of the growing number of questions and concerns regarding

vaccine safety, it is imperative that the U.S. government rely on the best, most

thorough and rigorous science possible, " the CVS letter states. " The Department

of Health and Human Services is legally and ethically bound to do everything

reasonably possible to ensure the safety of vaccines. "

CVS requested Congress use a " jaundiced eye " in reviewing CDC and HHS

safety claims, calling existing vaccine safety evidence " grossly insufficient "

and failing to meet " the requirements of public confidence. "

The letter went even further, suggesting, " suppression of science that

could prove or disprove vaccine safety … due to potential liability and

financial conflicts of interest involving individuals and organizations

responsible for scientific studies and vaccine safety policies. "

If suppression did occur, it could impact vaccine injury compensations

decided by the Court of Federal Claims, which relies on vaccine safety

scientific data—including that provided by government agencies—in reaching its

decisions. The CVS claims the effect of such " insufficient or flawed science "

supplied by the agencies as " astounding " in its impact on public health.

In this respect, CVS points out that Congress needs to act quickly, as the

Court of Federal Claims will soon make a determination in its Omnibus Autism

Proceeding regarding the link between autism and the vaccine preservative

thimerosal.

Thimerosal-Autism Link Controversy has surrounded claims of a connection

between the increasing number of children with autism and the mercury-containing

vaccine preservative thimerosal.

The CDC links to papers like Dr. A. Offit's " Thimerosal and Autism, "

which references studies showing no increases in autism between groups that took

vaccines with thimerosal and those that took vaccines without. The paper

references the Madsen study of vaccinations in Denmark, where thimerosal was

abandoned as a preservative in 1991. The study actually claimed an increase in

autism among non-thimerosal vaccinations.

The CVS cites examples of " suppression of science and conflicts of

interest " regarding this issue, including a quote by former Congressman

Weldon (R-Fla.), who said that the Madsen study was rejected by the Journal of

the American Medical Association (JAMA) and The Lancet, due to " significant

weaknesses. "

Former chairman of the National Institute of Health, Dr. Bernadine Healy,

is also quoted in the letter regarding thimerosal and autism. " The question has

not been answered, " Healy says, adding that there may be a " susceptible group "

among vaccine recipients. " If you turn your back on the notion that there is a

susceptible group … what can I say? "

The CVS is made up of a coalition of advocacy groups with a mission

statement to seek " rigorous scientific inquiry free from conflicts of interest

and political influence, and oversight that is both independent and

accountable. "