The response by Jon Poling (Hannah Poling's father) to the Offit article might be worth considering. The Hannah Poling case has a history where federal prosecutors and VICP program specifically carved out the exception for Hannah Poling otherwise 5,000 autism cases would have to be compensated. How they did it is corruption at its best. Offit falsely assumes that the reduction in antigen units have made vaccines safe. Reduction of the antigen units did reduce the reactigenicity when DTaP replaced the DTP. But the number of vaccines dramatically increased at the same time with their adjuvants and other toxic ingredients.
Vaccines and Autism Revisited
To the Editor
In his Perspective article on a possible connection between vaccines and autism, Offit (May 15 issue)1 speculates about my daughter, Hannah, and repeats inaccuracies from a March New York Times opinion piece that was officially corrected by the Times and our April 5 letter.
By omitting critical information from my March 6, 2008, statement, Offit misrepresents my position. I said, “Many in the autism community and their champions believe that the result in this case may well signify a landmark decision as it pertains to children developing autism following vaccinations. This still remains to be seen, but currently there are almost 5,000 other cases pending.”
Offit's remarks about Hannah's case are not evidence-based. He has no access to my daughter's personal medical records, legal documents, or affidavits. In contrast, physicians from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) who studied this information recommended that the government concede Hannah's case. The clinical history Offit presents contains significant inaccuracies, and the resulting conclusions are consequently flawed.
Offit confuses issues by comparing Hannah's case with unrelated decisions in “vaccine court.” The Office of the Secretary of DHHS, through the Department of Justice, conceded Hannah's case. There was no courtroom hearing and no decision from the “unusual vaccine court.”
Offit is frequently cited regarding the “biologically plausible” theory that simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines is safe. His opinion is unsupported by clinical trials, much less investigations in potentially susceptible subpopulations.
Despite the high frequency of mitochondrial dysfunction in autistic children,2 studies have not established primary or secondary roles. To explore this question, we need an immunization database for children with metabolic disorders to establish safety guidelines3 and improve vaccine safety for minority subgroups of children.
I agree with the statement of Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health, who said, “I don't think you should ever turn your back on any scientific hypothesis because you're afraid of what it might show. . . . If you know that susceptible group, you can save those children. If you turn your back on the notion there is a susceptible group . . . what can I say?”4 Also commendable is the new 5-year research plan of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, which will entail the study of minority subpopulations, including patients with mitochondrial disorders.5
A strong, safe vaccination program is a cornerstone of public health. Misrepresenting Hannah Poling v. HHS to the medical profession does not improve confidence in the immunization program or advance science toward an understanding of how and why regressive encephalopathy with autistic features follows vaccination in susceptible children.
Dr. Poling is the father of Hannah Poling and reports receiving consulting or lecture fees from Pfizer, Eisai, Ortho-McNeil, Biogen, Teva, Immunex, and Allergan. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this letter was reported.
Thank you for posting that article. What an upsetting read. So this catastrophic increase in autism is just coming from... ? The New England Journal of Medicine can't be bothered writing about that I guess.
About the Poling case, and others:
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0802904
The response by Jon Poling (Hannah Poling's father) to the Offit article might be worth considering. The Hannah Poling case has a history where federal prosecutors and VICP program specifically carved out the exception for Hannah Poling otherwise 5,000 autism cases would have to be compensated. How they did it is corruption at its best. Offit falsely assumes that the reduction in antigen units have made vaccines safe. Reduction of the antigen units did reduce the reactigenicity when DTaP replaced the DTP. But the number of vaccines dramatically increased at the same time with their adjuvants and other toxic ingredients.
Vaccines and Autism Revisited
To the Editor
In his Perspective article on a possible connection between vaccines and autism, Offit (May 15 issue)1 speculates about my daughter, Hannah, and repeats inaccuracies from a March New York Times opinion piece that was officially corrected by the Times and our April 5 letter.
By omitting critical information from my March 6, 2008, statement, Offit misrepresents my position. I said, “Many in the autism community and their champions believe that the result in this case may well signify a landmark decision as it pertains to children developing autism following vaccinations. This still remains to be seen, but currently there are almost 5,000 other cases pending.”
Offit's remarks about Hannah's case are not evidence-based. He has no access to my daughter's personal medical records, legal documents, or affidavits. In contrast, physicians from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) who studied this information recommended that the government concede Hannah's case. The clinical history Offit presents contains significant inaccuracies, and the resulting conclusions are consequently flawed.
Offit confuses issues by comparing Hannah's case with unrelated decisions in “vaccine court.” The Office of the Secretary of DHHS, through the Department of Justice, conceded Hannah's case. There was no courtroom hearing and no decision from the “unusual vaccine court.”
Offit is frequently cited regarding the “biologically plausible” theory that simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines is safe. His opinion is unsupported by clinical trials, much less investigations in potentially susceptible subpopulations.
Despite the high frequency of mitochondrial dysfunction in autistic children,2 studies have not established primary or secondary roles. To explore this question, we need an immunization database for children with metabolic disorders to establish safety guidelines3 and improve vaccine safety for minority subgroups of children.
I agree with the statement of Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health, who said, “I don't think you should ever turn your back on any scientific hypothesis because you're afraid of what it might show. . . . If you know that susceptible group, you can save those children. If you turn your back on the notion there is a susceptible group . . . what can I say?”4 Also commendable is the new 5-year research plan of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, which will entail the study of minority subpopulations, including patients with mitochondrial disorders.5
A strong, safe vaccination program is a cornerstone of public health. Misrepresenting Hannah Poling v. HHS to the medical profession does not improve confidence in the immunization program or advance science toward an understanding of how and why regressive encephalopathy with autistic features follows vaccination in susceptible children.
Jon S. Poling, M.D., Ph.D.
Athens Neurological Associates, Athens, GA 30606
jpoling@athensneuro.com
Dr. Poling is the father of Hannah Poling and reports receiving consulting or lecture fees from Pfizer, Eisai, Ortho-McNeil, Biogen, Teva, Immunex, and Allergan. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this letter was reported.
Thank you for posting that article. What an upsetting read. So this catastrophic increase in autism is just coming from... ? The New England Journal of Medicine can't be bothered writing about that I guess.
🙄