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October 18, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Increase in Autism Baffles Scientists"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (10/18/02) P. A1; Blakeslee, Sandra
The number of autism cases more than tripled between 1987 and 1998, according to a study led by University of California at Davis epidemiologist and pediatrician Robert S. Byrd; the study examined possible factors, including genetics, birth injuries, and childhood immunizations, and found no probable cause for the increase. The California Department of Developmental Services reports that the number of autistic children in the state is rising with 18,460 as of July. Byrd also discovered that 10 children out of every 10,000 children in California were seriously autistic, which significantly raises previous estimates of four or five children out of every 10,000 children. Some people believe mercury-based preservatives, previously contained in some childhood vaccinations, are the cause of the increase, but the study found no evidence to support such a finding, according to Byrd.
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