New Survey Shows Autism Rate Higher in Vaccinated Boys

The theory that the mercury used in vaccines, called thimerosol, is responsible for interacting in a child's body and causing a neurological disorder has been kicked around for many years. This theory has also largely been kicked out, though most vaccine makers have been careful to limit or delete thimerosol from their vaccines. But in some alternative medicine circles, the idea that mercury from vaccines causes autism in some people, is still alive and well.

Despite what the CDC says, there is a sizeable population in the United States who do not vaccinate their children. But, perhaps because of an unwillingness to believe that there are educated, two-parent families who do not vaccinate their children by choice, no studies have been done to compare a sampling of vaccinated children to unvaccinated children and compare which group had a higher rate of neurological disorders like autism, ADD/ADHD, Asperger's or PDD-NOS (which is on the autism spectrum and means pervasive developmental delay-no other symptoms).

But recently, a group called Generation Rescue commissioned such a survey. They credit the idea to a reporter named Dan Olmstead, who asked the director of the CDC in 2005 if a study had ever been done to look at autism rates in an unvaccinated American population. The answer was No. But Generation Rescue thought it was a good idea and hired an independent research group SurveyUSA, to conduct a telephone survey in nine counties in Oregon and northern California.

Phone surveys were done to mimic similar studies that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) does to establish national prevalence for diseases such as ADHD and autism. The survey information captured included households with children from ages 4-17; whether or not the child had been vaccinated; and whether or not the child had a diagnosis of any of the neurological disorders of ADD/ADHD, autism, Asperger's or PDD-NOS.

The results were surprising. Vaccinated boys had a shockingly higher rate of neurological disorders than the unvaccinated group of boys. In the younger ages, the rate ratio was as high as 224% more likely to have ADHD; and in older boys (probably due to the fact that most children aren't diagnosed until after age 6) that rate ratio went up to over 300%. Autism rates ranged from 60% for the younger groups and 112% for the older ones.

And that was just boys. There was surprisingly little difference in the two sets regarding girls. Girls only represent about 20% of cases of Neurological Disorders such as ADD/ADHD, autism, Asperger's, and PDD-NOS anyway.

Now, the results are intriguing but hardly definitive, of course. As a friend of mine said "I'd be a lot more impressed if the study was commissioned by a neutral party." Well, so would I, but perhaps at least the CDC (who is not exactly an uninterested party) can pick up and run with this ball already put into play.

The thought that vaccinations play a part in neurological disorders comes from the idea that autism and other similar disorders are not in fact psychological, but biological ailments. Purveyors of this belief usually cite the positive changes that occur from changing the diet, such as the more popular gluten (wheat) free/casein(milk) free diet for autism and other related disorders.

There is an actual increase in neurological disorder diagnoses in the past 25 years. In 1983, ADHD was rare and autism was said by the CDC to affect about 1 in 10,000 children. And now the CDC's figures estimate that a whopping 1 in 13 children have ADHD, and 1 in 150 have been diagnosed with a form of autism.

And if you want to blame vaccinations, a simple causation is there. In 1983, the average child received 10 vaccinations. In 2007, 36 vaccinations are recommended.

Further analysis and testing of these results should be interesting and hopefully brings both prevention and new treatment options for children, mostly boys, affected by these neurological disorders.