Vaccines, Measles, Autism and the Rights of Parents Mark F. Blaxill - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Vaccines, Measles, Autism and the Rights of Parents

Mark F. Blaxill Health Choice April 30, 2017

Introduction Measles in the United States Autism in Minnesota Research fraud from the CDC in MMR-autism study Exemption rights

What the government says about the risks and benefits of vaccines

Benefits

What “anti-vaxxers” say about the risks and benefits of vaccines

Risks

The risks and benefits of each vaccine are different

Risks

Risks

Risks

Risks

Risks

Risks

Benefits

Benefits

Benefits

Benefits

Benefits

Benefits

Vaccine 2 Vaccine 1 Vaccine 3 Vaccine 4 Vaccine 5 Vaccine 6 Etc All vaccines have risks

The schedules many of us grew up with

Once Quite Rare, Vaccine Adverse Side Effect Reports Have Risen Above 30,000/Year, With Over 200 Deaths/Year

Year of vaccination Pandemic flu effect

Source: Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, July 27, 2015

Introduction Measles in the United States Autism in Minnesota Research fraud from the CDC in MMR-autism study Exemption rights

MEASLES MORTALITY IN THE 20TH CENTURY

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Deaths per 100K

Measles vaccine licensed

Measles had ceased to be a deadly disease long before the vaccine was introduced…

KEY FACTS ABOUT MEASLES RISK IN THE UNITED STATES

The U.S population risk of dying from measles has fallen essentially to zero during the 20th century, for one major and one minor reason

1. Most importantly, measles long ago became a “self-limiting infection of short duration, moderate severity, and low fatality.”1 Death rates among those infected fell to very low levels 2. Of lesser importance, wild-type measles cases have also fallen to very low levels following the introduction of the live virus measles vaccine

Since 2000,

• There have been over 2200 cases of wild-type measles in the U.S.
• There have been conflicting reports on the number of deaths
• CDC: spokeswoman in 2015: Zero deaths from wild-type measles since 20032
• Latest updates to CDC reports: 11 deaths
• Over 170 cases of deaths related to measles containing vaccines have been

reported to VAERS3

1. Alexander D. Langmuir et al., The Importance of Measles as a Health Problem, 52 AM. J. PUB. HEALTH 1, 1 (1962). 2. CDC spokesperson Helen (Amy) Rowland to Health Choice , January 30, 2015 3. Search for measles-containing vaccines, vaccination years 2000-2017 and death http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/index.php

THE CHANGING RISK OF DEATH FROM A MEASLES INFECTION: 1911-1965

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960

In the early 20th century, measles was a dangerous illness, between 1-5%

• f those who caught it died

After World War II, measles became a mostly benign childhood illness, with less than 1 in 1000 dying from it

MEASLES INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY IN THE 20TH CENTURY

200 400 600 800 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Cases per 100K

First measles vaccine licensed in 1963

5 10 15 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Deaths per 100K

Measles vaccine licensed

Measles had ceased to be a deadly disease long before the vaccination was introduced… …but the measles vaccine did effectively eliminate a common childhood illness

THERE IS NOTHING UNUSUAL OR EXTREME ABOUT THE RECENT MEASLES OUTBREAK

Total CA OH NY WA MN TX All Other 2009 71 9 1 18 1 1 1 40 2010 63 27 2 8 1 3 22 2011 220 31 32 4 26 6 122 2012 55 8 1 4 42 2013 187 15 65 1 2 25 84 2014 667 34 382 9 34 8 200 2015 188

(147 DL)

101 3 7 1 1 75 2016 83 NA 2017 39+32

(as of 4/28)

7 1 1 32 30

CDC DESCRIPTION OF RECENT OUTBREAKS

MN 2011

• “The largest outbreak occurred among 21 persons in a Minnesota population

in which many children were unvaccinated because of parental concerns about the safety of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.”

TX 2013

• “In an ongoing outbreak in Texas, 20 confirmed cases have been reported as
• f August 24 among members of a church community.”

NY 2013

• “A total of 58 cases* were identified, including six generations of measles

infection in two neighborhoods of the borough of Brooklyn. All cases were in members of the orthodox Jewish community. No case was identified in a person who had documented measles vaccination at the time of exposure

OH 2014

• “The U.S. experienced 23 measles outbreaks in 2014, including one large
• utbreak of 383 cases, occurring primarily among unvaccinated Amish

communities in Ohio.”

The Disneyland Measles Outbreak and it Aftermath

• An unknown individual (presumed to be an international traveler) infected

with measles visited Disneyland around December 17-20, 2014.

• Approximately 40 California residents (and a smaller number of out-of state

residents) were exposed to measles and infected during this period. These ~50

• riginal cases eventually infected about 100 more, mostly California residents
• The CDC was first notified of these new cases in early January and began

publicizing the outbreak aggressively soon after

• Intensive media coverage commenced in late January (January 21-24), peak

coverage was reached in early February (February 3-6) and continued until month-end

• However, by mid February, measles infections were no longer spreading. The

last reported California case connected to Disneyland caught the virus around February 20

• Supported by the media hysteria over measles, a wave of vaccine anti-

exemption legislation was launched. In many states, legislators introduced new bills revoking exemption rights starting with a bill filed in Oregon on January 20th

Within 6-8 weeks, the Disneyland outbreak had largely run its course, with few new measles rashes after February 11

CDC MMWR Early Release: February 13, 2015. Number of confirmed measles cases (N = 110), by date of rash onset — California, December 2014–February 2015

In late January, CDC publicized reports from a Disneyland outbreak; by mid March, new reports ended

Date of report Total cases New reports All US cases CA cases All US reports CA reports*

*CDC weekly reports lag behind the California DPH reports

The 2017 Minnesota measles outbreak

Since 2000, over 2200 reported measles cases, 11 reported deaths, no deaths in major outbreaks

200 400 600

Measles cases

5 10

Reported deaths from measles

OH CA/ Disneyland MN TX/ NY

Since 2000, 172 deaths from measles-containing vaccines have been reported to VAERS

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Measles vaccines deaths reported to VAERS

Summary points

The hysteria over measles was unfounded. Measles is not Ebola Measles has long since ceased to be a dangerous illness for healthy children.

• Most adults born before the mid-1960s acquired measles in childhood and

experienced it as a minor inconvenience

The experience of measles as a subclinical illness caused by live-virus injections has made wild-type measles very rare and easier to fear

• Measles should not cause panic

The measles vaccine virus can shed and cause infections in unhealthy

• children. Vaccinees should avoid those at health risk of viral infections.
• Measles vaccination to protect the ill is not a civic duty

Measles-containing vaccines like MMR now cause many more deaths than measles The “Disneyland measles” episode was neither larger nor more serious than other recent outbreaks

Introduction Measles in the United States Autism in Minnesota Research fraud from the CDC in MMR-autism study Exemption rights

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

SINCE 1990, AUTISM RATES HAVE EXPLODED: SOMETHING NEW AND TERRIBLE IS HAPPENING TO A GENERATION OF CHILDREN

Birth year

Autism cases per 10,000

PDD/ autistic disorder All autistic spectrum disorders

The CDC report the Univ. of MN study was based on: ADDM autism rates by state in 8 year olds born in 2002

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Alabama Wisconsin Colorado Missouri Arkansas Georgia Arizona Maryland North Carolina Utah New Jersey MN Hispanic MN Black MN White MN Somali 1 in 46 Autism cases per 10,000 1 in 32 1 in 36 1 in 68

Autism rates in MN Somali children born ~2002 are the highest ever measured in the United States

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Alabama Wisconsin Colorado Missouri Arkansas Georgia Arizona Maryland North Carolina Utah New Jersey MN Hispanic MN Black MN White MN Somali 1 in 46 1 in 68 Autism cases per 10,000 1 in 32 1 in 36 1 in 48

50 100 150 200 250 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

ADDM autism rates by state: 8 year olds born 1992-2004

Autism cases per 10,000

2000 report 2002 report 2004 results 2006 report 2008 report

1 in 100 1 in 50 1 in 250 1 in 150 1 in 75 NJ UT AZ AL FL WI NC MO MD GA WV CO AR

Birth year

PA 2010 report

SC

2012 report

MN Somali

Introduction Measles in the United States Autism in Minnesota Research fraud from the CDC in MMR-autism study Exemption rights

WILLIAM W. THOMPSON COMMENTING ON RESEARCH FRAUD IN THE 2004 MMR-AUTISM STUDY

“Oh my God, I cannot believe we did what we did. But we did.” “It’s the lowest point in my career that I went along with that paper… and why, I went along with this, we didn’t report significant findings.” “I’m completely ashamed of what I did.” “I have great shame now…when I meet families of kids with autism, because I have been part of the problem.” “I was complicit and, uh, I went along with this.” “The higher ups wanted to do certain things and I went along with it.”

The Primary Outcome

THE FIRST ANALYSIS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS SHOWED MORE THAN A DOUBLING OF RISK WITH EARLY MMR EXPOSURE

This “Excel File .. shows the RACE analyses that I had run using ONLY the BIRTH CERTIFICATE Sample --- the unadjusted RACE effect was statistically

• significant. (OR=1.51, [95%CI

1.02 - 2.24]). At the bottom of Table 7, it also shows that for the NON-BIRTH Certificate Sample, the adjusted RACE effect statistically significance was

• HUGE. (OR=2.94 [95%CI 1.48 -

5.81]). That is the main reason why we decided to report the RACE effects for ONLY the BIRTH Certificate Sample.”

THE PUBLISHED ANALYSIS COULD HAVE INCLUDED A RACE EFFECT

BUT THE PUBLISHED RISK EFFECT INCLUDED ONLY AGE AND GENDER FOR THE FULL SAMPLE

AND PUBLISHED THE RACE EFFECT ONLY FOR THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE SAMPLE

Introduction Measles in the United States Autism in Minnesota Research fraud from the CDC in MMR-autism study Exemption rights

Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights UNESCO resolution adopted on October 19, 2005.

Article 6 – Consent Section 1. Any preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic medical intervention is only to be carried out with the prior, free and informed consent of the person concerned, based on adequate information. The consent should, where appropriate, be express and may be withdrawn by the person concerned at any time and for any reason without disadvantage or prejudice.

CONGRESS CHOSE TO PROTECT VACCINE MANUFACTURERS BECAUSE VACCINES ARE “UNAVOIDABLY UNSAFE”

“Subsection (b)—Unavoidable Adverse Side Effects; Direct Warnings.—This provision sets forth the principle contained in Comment K of Section 402A of the Restatement of Torts (Second) that a vaccine manufacturer should not be liable for injuries or deaths resulting from unavoidable side effects even though the vaccine was properly prepared and accompanied by proper directions and warnings. “The Committee has set forth Comment K in this bill because it intends that the principle in Comment K regarding ‘unavoidably unsafe’ products, i.e., those products which in the present state of human skill and knowledge cannot be made safe, apply to the vaccines covered in the bill and that such products not be the subject of liability in the tort system.”

• The House Energy and Commerce Committee Report accompanying the National Childhood

Vaccine Injury Act, H. R. Rep. No. 99–908, pt. 1 (1986)

Minnesota state law grants exemptions rights to parents

121A.15 HEALTH STANDARDS; IMMUNIZATIONS; SCHOOL CHILDREN.

• Subd. 3.Exemptions from immunizations.

(d) If a notarized statement signed by the minor child's parent or guardian or by the emancipated person is submitted to the administrator or other person having general control and supervision of the school or child care facility stating that the person has not been immunized as prescribed in subdivision 1 because of the conscientiously held beliefs of the parent or guardian of the minor child or of the emancipated person, the immunizations specified in the statement shall not be

• required. This statement must also be forwarded to the commissioner of the

Department of Health. (e) If the person is under 15 months, the person is not required to be immunized against measles, rubella, or mumps