1. AUTISM AND VACCINES If There’s No Link, Why Do People Believe?

9. Mercury in vaccines causes autism.

10. Well, no, it doesn’t. So why do people believe it does?

11. AUTISM Neural disorder Language and communication impairment Echolalia Restrictive and/or repetitive behaviors (stereotypy) Sensory abnormalities Poor motor skills Unusual eating behaviors

12. Which of these kids has autism?

14. Autism is a parent’s nightmare Sleep disorders are very common. Autistic children don’t “look” disabled. Language difficulties make communication frustrating and sometimes impossible. Self injury. 1 in 4 autistic children develop seizures by the time they reach adulthood. This can result in brain damage and death.

15. Autism is a parent’s nightmare. There is no known cause. There is no cure. Worst: Most autistic kids develop normally, then regress.

16. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc

17. After this, therefore because of this.

23. Wakefield’s study: Purported to link MMR vaccine with inflammatory bowel disease and autism. Claimed that the measles virus was present in samples from the digestive tracts of 12 children with autism. Speculated that this presence was due to the MMR vaccine. “If you give three viruses together, three live viruses, then you potentially increase the risk of an adverse event occurring, particularly when one of those viruses influences the immune system in the way that measles does.”

24. Why Wakefield was discredited Conducted research by examining 12 autistic kids and subjecting them to unnecessary procedures (colonoscopy, lumbar puncture) Several of the children were recruited by attorneys preparing a lawsuit against MMR manufacturers Wakefield failed to disclose that he personally received £400,000 from these attorneys A week before publication of the Lancet paper, Wakefield applied for a patent on a single-jab measles vaccine

25. A British court of law found that Andrew Wakefield: Dishonestly and irresponsibly spread fear that the MMR vaccine might cause autism in some children, even though he knew that his own laboratory's tests dramatically contradicted his claims and he knew or ought to have known that there was absolutely no scientific basis at all for his belief that MMR should be broken up into single vaccines In spreading such fear, also acted dishonestly and irresponsibly, by repeatedly failing to disclose conflicts of interest and/or material information, including his association with contemplated litigation against the manufacturers of MMR and his application for a patent for a vaccine for measles which, if effective, and if the MMR vaccine had been undermined and/or withdrawn on safety grounds, would have been commercially very valuable. Caused medical colleagues serious unease by carrying out research tests on vulnerable children outside the terms or in breach of the permission given by an ethics committee, in particular by subjecting those children to highly invasive and sometimes distressing clinical procedures and thereby abusing them. Has been unremittingly evasive and dishonest in an effort to cover up his wrong-doing.

26. The mercury in thimerosol is ethyl mercury, not methyl. Even if it were true that mercury in vaccines caused autism:

27. Mercury was removed from all childhood vaccines except the influenza and tetanus shots. In 2001. Autism rates have stayed about the same.

28. ANDREW WAKEFIELD Lancet article: RETRACTED Medical license: REVOKED CENSURED for professional misconduct

31. JENNY and EVAN Developed typically until onset of seizures, at which time his language regressed. Seizures improved and apparently ceased subsequent to medication. His symptoms are consistent with Landau- Kleffner Syndrome, often misdiagnosed as autism. Believes mercury in vaccines caused her son Evan’s autism. She says Evan was diagnosed in 2005. The onset of Evan’s autism was marked by seizures. Believes chelation therapy cured Evan of his autism.

34. Drs. Mark and David Geier Institute of Medicine calls their work “seriously flawed,” “uninterpretable.” American Academy of Pediatrics: “numerous conceptual and scientific flaws, omissions of fact, inaccuracies, and misstatements.” Judges labeled Mark Geier’s testimony “intellectually dishonest,” “not reliable,” and “wholly unqualified.”

36. Celebrity endorsements (Yoko Ono, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Simon) Federal grants PR departments “Walk for the Cure,” ribbons, magnets, calendars, posters, ad campaigns.

38. “There isn't an unlimited pot of money, and every dollar spent looking where we know the answer isn't is one less dollar we have to spend where we might find new answers. The fact is that vaccines save lives; they don't cause autism.”... Autism Speaks needs to “move on.”

39. Arguments that “there might be rare cases of ‘biologically- plausible’ vaccine involvement... are misleading and disingenuous”... Autism Speaks is “adversely impacting” autism research.

40. If you donate, donate here: autismsciencefoundation.org Founded by parents and scientists Grounded in scientific principles Money is spent on research, not “awareness”

41. Why do people still believe? “Awareness” as opposed to education. Media promotes celebrities like Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey instead of Alison Singer. Lack of training in critical thought Emotional

42. Remember: Parents who don’t vaccinate their children THINK THEY’RE DOING THE RIGHT THING.

43. VACCINATE YOUR CHILDREN. BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM.