Whether the rising rates of autism in the United States can be attributed to the mercury-laden vaccine preservative thimerosal is a hotly debated topic. But according to at least one expert, Dr. David Ayoub, the director of the Prairie Collaborative for Immunization, the evidence is clear that mercury is in fact playing a large role in the autism epidemic.
Dr. Ayoub said that numerous experimental, epidemiological and biochemical research studies have shown beyond a doubt that mercury is “directly linked the development of autism spectrum disorders and is significantly toxic to the gastrointestinal, immunological, metabolic and neurobiological systems in children.”
He believes that, rather than devoting more research efforts to proving this link, research should aim to find methods to remove mercury from the body and repair damage it has caused.
Mercury and the Flu Vaccine: Still a Major Threat
Of the vaccines today that still contain mercury, the flu vaccine is the biggest concern, according to Dr. Ayoub. About 80 percent of flu vaccines contain as much as 25 micrograms of mercury per dose. The EPA’s safe limit for mercury is 0.1 mcg/kg, so everyone who gets the flu vaccine receives an overdose of mercury. You would have to weigh at least 550 pounds to receive a flu shot and be within the safe federal exposure limits for mercury.
Further, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in 2004 that pregnant women and young infants should be among those who receive the flu vaccine, which further exposes fetuses and young children to mercury. In the case of pregnant women, the benefit of flu vaccination was minimal (preventing one to two hospitalizations for every 1,000 pregnant women vaccinated), yet the risks to the unborn infant could be significant.
When a pregnant woman receives the flu vaccine, the fetus receives several hundred times more mercury than federal agencies say is safe for adults. Even the vaccine manufacturers admit the flu vaccine hasn’t been adequately tested. The insert on one such vaccine (Fluzone) even stated:
“Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza Virus Vaccine. It is not known whether Influenza Virus Vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity.”
Mercury-Laden Vaccines Approved Because of Conflicts of Interest
Both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have potential conflicts of interest with the vaccine makers, as do doctors who work with the companies. In fact, policy decisions are made by physician advisory panels whose members are often tied financially to the drug companies they are regulating. Some interesting points:
The CDC branch that oversees vaccine safety has a budget of about $30 million; the branch that promotes vaccines has a $1 billion budget.
About 60 percent of the FDA advisory members who voted to approve the poisonous rotavirus vaccine had financial ties the drug’s makers.
About 50 percent of the CDC members were also tied to the rotavirus makers.
Some 85 percent of Clinical Practice Guideline authors have ties to the drug companies, and many are not disclosed.
How Much Mercury Has Your Child Received?
The National Vaccine Information Center has released a mercury calculator that can help you determine how much mercury your child has received (or will receive) from vaccinations. You simply enter the weight of your child and choose the brand name or manufacturer of the vaccine, and the calculator will let you know if the mercury levels have exceeded the EPA’s safe standard.
Are there treatments available for autism? Chelation therapies to remove mercury from the body are among the most talked about ways to treat autism in children, Ayoub says.
National Vaccine Information Center
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Dr. Mercola’s Comment:
If the above study doesn’t cause your blood to boil, I don’t know what will. Up until the last few years it was never recommended for infants to get the flu vaccine. Now it is mandated, and last year nearly 70 percent of helpless infants were assaulted with a vaccine that is loaded with mercury.
And why was this vaccine given to these (your?) children?
Because of pure, simple corporate greed and rampant conflict of interest at the FDA. Sixty percent of the “experts” on the vaccine advisory committee had ties to the vaccine industry. This makes the Vioxx scandal that killed 55,000 people like a picnic. This is most likely one of the worst scams ever implemented on the American public. The potential to negatively impact the public is profound beyond belief.
We won’t see the majority of the side effects from this insane and greed-inspired activity for many years, perhaps decades, and even then it will be difficult for many to make the connection. It is nearly incomprehensible to calculate the damage that is being done to the future health of our country. How can you possibly inject a central nervous system poison into immature infants at doses hundreds of times that allowed for adults and not expect some type of consequence?
I feel so strongly about this issue that last week I partnered with Dr. Tenpenny to offer an audio course for the fall. We will also be publishing her book on the flu vaccine, but it will likely not be published until next year.
Aside from the devastating future complications, there are also immediate concerns. As Dr. Ayoub said in the article, we are certainly seeing some of the acute and disastrous complications of this policy right now:
“I can state that the certainty of the science supporting mercury as a major cause of autism is probably more overpowering than the science behind any other disease process that I studied dating back to medical school … I think [autism] a disease that affects more individuals than AIDS or cancer, in previously normal infants and children has created a sense of urgency amongst researchers.”
One of the main culprits today is the flu vaccine–which still contains mercury, despite all that’s known about its risks. Although summer is approaching and the flu is probably one of the furthest things from your mind, please keep in mind my article Alternatives to the Flu Vaccine for the next flu season.
If you’re at all uncertain about the damage mercury and vaccines continue to do, I urge you to review an article I ran about how it can ruin your life. Those of you with kids will also want to check out the easy-to-use mercury calculator from the National Vaccine Information Center that will tell you just how much mercury your kids will be getting from their vaccinations (and kids and adults can use the calculator on the GotMercury.org site to find out how much mercury you’re getting from the fish you eat).
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