FEAT DAILY NEWSLETTER      Sacramento, California      http://www.feat.org

February 22, 2002        News Archive Search  www.feat.org/search/news.asp

 

Love, Prayers and Cards for Barbara Burton

Barbara Burton, wife of US Representative Dan Burton, continues with her struggle against cancer.  In addition to offering prayers, readers are encouraged to send her cards of hope and goodwill to help cheer her on.  This family has done so much in the interests of our children, please show your appreciation and make this small effort.

WRITE TO:

Barbara Burton

12141 E. 79^th St. Indianapolis, IN 46236

 

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·        Top Scientist Wants More MMR Tests To Satisfy Parents: Fans Flames

·        Autism, Bowel Inflammation, And Measles

·        Autism News Summaries

·        Reader’s Posts

 

 

Top Scientist Wants More MMR Tests To Satisfy Parents: Fans Flames

Prof. John Walker-Smith: Supervised the work of Dr Andrew Wakefield

[Full text of Scientist’s letter follows. By Lorna Duckworth, 22

February 2002.]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=139033

The senior author of the study that triggered fears of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism will break his silence today by calling for urgent research to “resolve the genuine concerns of parents”.

In a letter published in The Lancet [See following article.], Professor John Walker-Smith says large population studies make it clear that “the MMR vaccine is safe in most children”. But these studies do not rule out the possibility that, in a “very small group” of children, there could be a link between the jab and bowel and behavioural disorders.

To resolve the controversy, and to end the “heartache” suffered by parents, biological studies must be carried out to determine what causes the bowel and behavioural problems, he says.

Professor Walker-Smith, of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, in London, says he “continues to support the MMR vaccine” and reveals that three of his grandsons have received the jab. Nevertheless, his letter could serve to deepen the dispute.

Before retiring from London’s Royal Free Hospital in 2000, he supervised the work of Dr Andrew Wakefield and was the senior clinical investigator behind the 1998 study in The Lancet that provoked the scare.

The research team, led by Professor Walker-Smith and Dr Wakefield, identified a “highly selected group” of 12 children with an unusual bowel disorder and developmental problems but it was unable to prove a link with the MMR vaccine.

In today’s letter, Professor Walker-Smith says that the latest studies have provided evidence that the measles virus, rather than the MMR vaccine, may have a part to play in developmental problems. He writes: “There is now a case to be answered. This study finding needs urgent attention and elaboration of its importance.”

Professor Walker-Smith has remained silent about the MMR controversy since 1998. But in his letter today, he says he is speaking out because the debate has gone on for “far too long and is causing so much heartache in parents”.

Referring to the large number of studies that have found no evidence of a link between MMR and autism, he says: “It seems clear to me that what epidemiology has shown is that the MMR vaccine is safe in most children.”

But, having seen the “grave concern” of parents who have autistic children, he says, “further urgent research is needed to resolve the genuine concerns of parents who associate MMR with the onset of autism and to try to identify whether there are factors that may place a very small but important group of children at risk of such a disorder”.

An editorial in the same journal says all the epidemiological evidence shows MMR is safe but swift action is needed to restore public confidence if deaths from measles, mumps and rubella are to be prevented.

 

 

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Autism, Bowel Inflammation, And Measles

[Letter in the Lancet. Volume 359, Number 9307, 23 February 2002.]

http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol359/iss9307/full/llan.359.9307.correspon

dence.20101.1

Sir—I was the senior clinician in the preliminary study of

ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive

developmental disorder reported in 1998.1 Apart from one letter after our

report,2 I have remained silent, except for coauthorship on several articles

on this topic.3,4

I believe that serious medical and scientific debate should be based on published work in peer reviewed journals, and done in professional media.  The latest evidence in this matter has now been published on the internet,5 precipitated by the BBC Panorama programme on Feb 3, 2002. Although I retired from my chair at Royal Free and University School of Medicine in September, 2000, and have seen no patients since then, I hope that my opinions might be of some use.

I belive that the published data in peer reviewed journals show two things. First, a highly selected group of children with developmental disorder (many with regressive autism) exists, who have an unusual gastrointestinal abnormality characterised by ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia and non-specific enterocolitis that is not classical inflammatory bowel disease. The immunopathology of this disorder has been studied by Furlano and colleagues,4 who have established clear differences from chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

Second, in such highly selected children, Uhlmann and colleagues5 have now provided new evidence that measles might be involved, by use of molecular techniques to show the presence of measles virus genomes in 75 of 91 children with ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, enterocolitis, and developmental disorder, compared with five of 70 control children. Measles virus was mainly localised in dendritic cells in reactive follicular hyperplastic centres in the ileum. This localisation mirrors that of HIV-1.

Uhlmann and colleagues pose the question does measles virus play a part in the unusual inflammation already reported in children with developmental disorder. Surely there is now a high priority to do research to answer this question.

There has been much criticism of Wakefield and colleagues’ work. His results have been said to be refuted. Much of this criticism has been epidemiological. Yet, as Morris and Aldulaimi6 in their comment on the Dublin data state, “Epidemiology is a pretty blunt tool and the studies done do not rule out the possibility that there are at risk groups where a real link with [measles, mumps, rubella vaccine] MMR and autism/bowel inflammatory condition exists”. It seems clear to me that what epidemiology has shown is that the MMR vaccine is safe in most children.

Furlano and colleagues’ work on the inflammatory changes and the intestine in autism was reviewed in the Medical Research Council’s 2001 report. Some criticisms were made but the work was certainly not refuted.

Now, anecdotally, my own observations are that there is grave concern felt by many parents of autistic children about the possible triggering role of MMR for autism and bowel disorders. This issue has been brought to the attention of a wider audience by television. I believe this issue must be addressed by discussion of the lead-up to the initial study and to the follow up publications.

As a paediatrican I am all too aware of the dangers of measles. I have seen the devastation it can cause in children in Africa, and in my new role as a medical historian, I am familiar with the mortality that has been caused by measles in this country. S Murch, in the Panorama programme, described how uncomfortable it is for a paediatrician to be associated with research that might affect vaccine uptake rates. I agree with this view.  However, I have also been shocked to see the severity of autism in the children I used to see each week from 1995 to 2000 at the Royal Free, and I have listened to the views of the parents of these children.

I continue to support the MMR vaccine, as have all the Royal Free paediatricians in this research from the beginning. Three of my grandsons have received the MMR vaccination. Although I am very concerned about the current outbreak of measles, I am also concerned that further urgent research is needed to resolve the genuine concerns of parents who associate MMR with the onset of autism and to try to identify whether there are factors that may place a very small but important group of children at risk of such a disorder.

I believe children have been badly served by the adversarial approach involved in the current legal action against manufacturers, and that adopted towards Andrew Wakefield and his work by some Department of Health officials. This attitude was typified by David Salisbury’s mocking comments on Panorama, pouring scorn on Wakefield’s work.

Am I too naive to ask all people of goodwill on both sides of this debate to speedily agree on an independent research agenda that will finally resolve this matter? Such an agenda must involve non-epidemiological research, focusing on the bowels of these children. It is self-evident that this whole question is going on far too long and is causing so much heart-ache in parents. Although the original observation has been extended and refined with additional evidence, resolution of this matter seems as far off as it did then. Studies reported lately provide evidence that measles virus might have a role. There is now a case to be answered. This study finding needs urgent confirmation and elaboration of its importance.

John Walker-Smith

Wellcome Trust Centre for History of Medicine at UCL, London NW1 1AD, UK (e-mail:johnwalker_smith@hotmail.com)

1 Wakefield AJ, Murch SH, Anthony A, et al. Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet 1998; 351: 637-41. [Text]

2 Walker-Smith JA. Autism, inflammatory bowel disease, and MMR vaccine.  Lancet 1998; 351: 1356-57. [PubMed]

3 Wakefield AJ, Anthony A, Murch SH, et al. Enterocolitis in children with developmental disorders.  Am J Gastroenterol 2000; 95: 2285-95.  [PubMed]

4 Furlano RI, Anthony A, Day R, et al. Colonic CD8 and gamma delta T-cell infiltration with epithelial damage in children with autism. J Pediatr 2001; 138: 366-72. [PubMed]

5 Uhlmann V, Martin CM, Silva I, et al. Potential viral pathogenic mechanism for new variant inflammatory bowel disease.  http://mp.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/ 54/6/DC1 (accessed on Feb 19, 2002).

6 Morris A, Aldulaimi D. New evidence for a viral pathogenic mechanism for new variant inflammatory bowel disease and developmental disorder?  http://mp.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/ 54/6/DC1 (accessed on Feb 19, 2002).

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Autism News Summaries

CARE

Special Needs vs. Managed Care

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/krphiladelphia/20020215/lo/special_needs_vs_man

aged_care_1.html

Feb 15  7:37 AM ET

Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer

Summary: … Ryan Andress is blissfully unaware of all the trouble he’s in.  Ryan is 7. He has autism. He’s too busy getting used to his new buzz cut and trying to learn sign language to notice that grown-ups in three states are arguing over who should care about him, who will care for him, and who’s going to pay. Ryan was diagnosed at 15 months. For the next four years, his mother, Annmarie, cared for him at her home in Newtown Square, Delaware County, scrounging for help for needs that exceeded available, qualified care. But a loving mom trained as a customer-service rep was not enough for a boy with a complex developmental disability. He can’t even talk.

 

RESEARCH

Childhood Jabs Safe for Immune System, Report Says

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020220/sc_nm/health_immu

nizations_dc_1

Feb 20  4:38 PM ET

Reuters

Summary: ... committee found no link between the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and  autism ....

Brain Abnormalities Identified in Autistic Brains

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020211/hl_nm/brains_1

Feb 11  5:50 PM ET

Reuters

Summary: Scientists have discovered abnormalities in the brains of people with  autism  that may explain some of the symptoms of the disorder.

Brain Changes Tied to Over-Stimulation in Autism

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/hsn/20020211/hl_hsn/brain_cha

nges_tied_to_over_stimulation_in_autism>

Feb 11 12:27 PM ET

HealthSCOUT

Summary: MONDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthScoutNews) -- Structural differences in the brains of people with  autism  could help explain behaviors linked to this disorder.

Brain Measures Trustworthiness by Face Value

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020218/hl_nm/face_1

Feb 18  3:25 PM ET

Reuters

Summary: ... see how the findings apply to people with disorders that affect social interactions, such as  autism ....

PUBLIC HEALTH

Home News: UUP Man Tells Of Autistic Son During MMR Debate

http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020221005965&query

=mmr

Feb 21, 2002

Irish Times

Summary: ...A member of the Stormont Health Committee last night revealed that his child stopped speaking after receiving the controversial MMR vaccine.

Parents Want Government To Offer Separate Injections For Measles, Mumps,

Rubella: Poll

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020220/ap_wo_en_bu/brita

in_measles_4

Feb 20  4:30 AM ET

AP

Summary: ...Another 19 percent of parents were so worried about the combined vaccine’s unproven link with  autism  that they were prepared to pay for separate injections, even if the cost was several hundred...

Independent Experts Say MMR Vaccine Is Safe

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020214/hl_nm/mmr_3

Feb 14  1:42 PM ET

Reuters

Summary: An independent scientific advisory committee that has reviewed the latest research on the MMR vaccine said on Thursday there is no evidence of a causal link between the controversial jab and  autism  or bowel disease.

Independent Experts Say MMR Is Safe

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020214/sc_nm/health_mmr_

dc_1

Feb 14 12:06 PM ET

Reuters

Summary: An independent scientific advisory committee which has reviewed the latest research on the MMR vaccine said on Thursday there is no evidence of a causal link between the controversial jab and  autism  or bowel disease.

Britain’s P.M. Fights Vaccine Fears

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020211/ap_on_he_me/brita

in_child_vaccine_6

Feb 11  2:47 PM ET

AP

Summary: ... in Britain suggested the MMR vaccine was linked to a perceived increase in the incidence of  autism , a severe neurological disorder....

Blair Fights Public Fears Of Children’s Vaccination

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020211/ap_wo_en_bu/brita

in_child_vaccine_3

Feb 11 12:50 PM ET

AP

Summary: ... Britain suggested that the MMR vaccine was linked to a perceived increase in the incidence of  autism , a severe neurological disorder....

EDUCATION

School Serving Autistic Kids to Close

http://www.columbian.com/02202002/clark_co/258295.html

February 20, 2002

By Kathie Durban,

Columbian

Summary: ... small private school in Vancouver that has given new hope to parents of children with autism will run out of money and close its doors March 1. Parents got the news Tuesday. “I’m just devastated,” ....  Vancouver, whose son Steven is autistic.

B.C. Move Dooms Kids with Autism, Court Told http://www.canada.com/vancouver/news/story.asp?id={E37E826C-02DC-4F2A-A1FC-6 C4EC745D7B0} <- - address ends here.

February 21, 2002

Kim Pemberton

Vancouver Sun

Summary: ... The provincial government’s position that it should not have to fund treatment for children with autism would doom many such children to lives in institutions, the B.C. Court of Appeal was told Wednesday...

 

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Reader’s Posts

I have a very sane, normal friend who has special “dreams.”  These dreams give her and many others answers to problems, struggles, and uncertainties.

She keeps dreaming things about something to help my 11-year non-verbal

autistic son and they all have something to do with the color orange.  She’s

even mentioned Beta Carotene.   Isn’t this Vitamin A?   We’ve been on the

Cod Liver Oil for years, but never the large doses some recommend, for a

considerable length of time. Suggestions welcomed Cathy Martin

1-2 therapists urgently needed for established ABA program for 6 yr old boy

in Millersville, MD (AA County,.  PT, 1-4pm M-Sat. Currently contracted with

NJIEI/LIFE and utilizes one of their consultants.  Exper. Preferred but not

needed. Trng provided. Qualifications: patience, reliable, energetic.

Recently advertised for ABA trainer for my 3-year-old autistic son in

Berkley, MI- Trng provided—my email address has changed to:

Noticed quite a few postings for animals (dogs). Know there is the Canine

Companions that provides dogs for children with Autism. These dogs are the

same dogs that they use for people with disabilities, handicaps.  Already

trained and their dispositions are guaranteed to be calm.

 

 

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APRIL 21, 2002 - 12 Noon to 5pm

THIRD NATIONAL AUTISM AWARENESS RALLY:

“The Power of ONE! I.D.E.A.”

FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

www.unlockingautism.org

Lenny Schafer, Editor@feat.org  •  CALENDAR EVENTS@feat.org Michelle Guppy

Catherine Johnson PhD  •  Ron Sleith  •  Kay Stammers  •  Edward Decelie

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ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.