Study compares vaccinated and unvaccinated populations
Posted By Phyllis on November 14, 2009
Joseph Mercola, DO, has a massive emailing list about health issues. He has recently taken up the vaccine question, which I am very happy about. He has a new posting in which he interviews a pediatrician, Larry Palevsky, who regrets having vaccinated children after carefully reviewing the science involved: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/14/Expert-Pediatrician-Exposes-Vaccine-Myths.aspx
In the posting, Mercola brings up a favorite topic of mine: that new research should compare vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, in order to understand possible adverse effects of vaccines. Seems like a no-brainer, but it isn’t happening, possibly because the medical establishment is full of conflicts of interest. Mercola found a study that did in fact compare vaccinated and non-vaccinated populations–not for autism, but for allergies, asthma, eczema, and hay fever. This study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in April 2005, found statistically significant increases in the number of cases of these conditions in the vaccinated and partly-vaccinated groups as opposed to the never-vaccinated groups, according to Mercola. The researchers were puzzled, because they had been told vaccines were safe.
I have been calling for research comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, looking at incidence of autism. Others are too. Since this isn’t happening with the medical establishment, a parents’ group is stepping in to fill the void. The National Vaccine Information Center has gathered $100,000 so far for some unbiased research, said Mercola. I am very happy to hear this.
Also in this newsletter, Mercola draws a bead on the concept of herd immunity, which the vaccine proponents cite as the reason for vaccinations. If most of the population has been vaccinated, the virus is likely to be stopped in its tracks, according to this theory. Go below an unknown percentage, and the likelihood of disease occurrence increases.
Pediatrician Larry Palevsky, interviewed by Mercola, pointed out that the virus doesn’t actually go away if the population is mostly immunized. It’s still there, in our bodies and our environments, but the vaccinated people aren’t (supposed to be) reacting to it. So since it’s still there, the virus can hardly be stopped in its tracks for those who aren’t vaccinated. There is no herd immunity, Palevsky maintains.
Interesting!! I recommend you read this posting from Mercola and sign up for his newsletter.
Phyllis,
Have you looked at the CDC website at all? There are a lot of existing studies in the US and other countries on the possible link between autism and other developmental disorders and vaccines or mercury. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/00_pdf/VSD_Chart_of_Autism_Studies-Updated_Aug_18_09.pdf
Dave,
This is a very controversial topic, and I’ve read books on both sides of the question. It seems to me that the many studies that have been done skirt the issue, have basic errors, or prove only a limited thesis.
For example, studies seem to show that the measles virus in the MMR vaccine apparently doesn’t cause autism. They seem to show that the mercury in the vaccines apparently doesn’t cause autism. But what about the large number of vaccines kids now have to take, combined with a genetic predisposition? This hasn’t been tested. When companies test vaccines to take them to market, they test them singly, on fairly small populations. No one has evaluated the cumulative effect of getting 35 vaccination shots in the first few years of life, including one on the day of birth. If you look in the archives for this blog you’ll see some of my thoughts.