I think the audience for this blog already knows there is zero evidence for, and lots of evidence against, any link between vaccines and autism. While I think it would be wonderful if we could convince those who distrust vaccines of their safety, we aren't the ones who can do that. I wish I knew who could.
Yes, although I'm not sure if people are interested in the epidemiology behind the rise of autism and what may be explaining it. I should have clarified that more; this poll only allowed a certain number of characters, unfortunately.
Oh please include “rise of autism” as a future poll option!! Would also appreciate your perspective on the rise of the neurodiversity acceptance movement and how our understanding of autism is evolving. Thank you!
Oh, yes, if there is more content beyond what we all know that might be of interest. I suppose you're referring to the evidence that the rise in diagnosis is mainly due to more cases being detected rather than a real increase?
Right! Detection of conditions-diseases (I think the term is "case ascertainment," but I'll defer to those who know more about this than do I) may not reflect a "true" level of prevalence-incidence. As Miriam noted, one important factor is the definition used in identifying cases. Those definitions have changed dramatically since I first worked with children who only some people said has "autism." There's also the phenomenon called "diagnostic substitution" (some children we used to say had "intellectual disabilities" or "learning disabilities" now are said to have "autism" or "HFA"). Beyond that, there's been increasing public awareness of autism—which is a good thing!—that probably has contributed to more frequent self-diagnoses (though, that's back to ascertainment, definition, and etc.).
You are, though! Health professionals—broadly speaking—remain the most trusted source of vaccine information, and that includes many in this audience. But the key isn’t to focus on convincing—while necessary, minds rarely change with evidence alone. Trust, values, and effective conversations matter just as much.
While we might not always be the ones who can do that directly, we can still shape the conversation—whether by supporting those who are trusted in hesitant communities or by modeling productive, evidence-based dialogue ourselves.
I won’t pretend there’s an easy answer, but I do think we have a role to play.
"Health professionals" at the CDC covered up a 1999 study where they compared fully unvaccinated with their vaccinated counterparts. What did they find? That the vaccinated group was far more sick in every metric and that SIDS was 70 percent more likely in said group:
The CDC claims this study never existed. In fact they committed purgery to cover it up. It did. This is among the biggest crimes of the century.
During a November 2012 Congressional hearing on autism before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Dr. Coleen Boyle, the Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, gave evasive answers to lawmakers pressing her on this point. After considerable badgering, she finally stated, “We have not studied vaccinated versus unvaccinated [children].” That was perjury.
Effects of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis or tetanus vaccination on allergies and allergy-related respiratory symptoms among children and adolescents in the United States
Results: The odds of having a history of asthma was twice as great among vaccinated subjects than among unvaccinated subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 6.74). The odds of having had any allergy-related respiratory symptom in the past 12 months was 63% greater among vaccinated subjects than unvaccinated subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 2.54). The associations between vaccination and subsequent allergies and symptoms were greatest among children aged 5 through 10 years.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000 data were analyzed and adjusted for survey design by Taylor Linearization using SAS version 9.1 software, with SAS callable SUDAAN version 9.0.1. The odds of receiving EIS were approximately nine times as great for vaccinated boys (n = 46) as for unvaccinated boys (n = 7), after adjustment for confounders. This study found statistically significant evidence to suggest that boys in United States who were vaccinated with the triple series Hepatitis B vaccine, during the time period in which vaccines were manufactured with thimerosal, were more susceptible to developmental disability than were unvaccinated boys.
This is not a "very interesting post". it is disinformation from the exact sources cited in her article that are spreading vaccine fear and medical misinformation, RFK and his lobbying group. You're here, both of you, it appears, to continue chipping away at susceptible people's trust in established science and to promote alternative "treatments" that the wellness industry can sell us.
"dozens of studies which show vaccines are extremely harmful."
Uh, no.
I don't know how old you are, but you're healthy enough to be posting here today because either you and/or people before you got vaccinated against a variety of pathogens.
There is a reason the CDC purgered itself by claiming they never made a Vaccinated vs Unvaccinated study when they did - it’s because the results were catastrophic. Again, here is that purgery:
Here is the archived testimony of a medical doctor who ran his own study of both his vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. When pressed by his medical board to prove that his no-vaccine plan for his adolescent patients was as safe as the CDC schedule? Turns out it was basically 99% less damaging based on every metric he could measure: https://old.bitchute.com/video/gROe4FJFExbD/
His license was revoked for his trouble (this one is a must watch if you have yet to see it)
I hear your concerns. It sounds like you’re concerned there is a decades-long conspiracy spanning multiple countries, thousands of scientists, and countless health professionals—all working together to hide the truth about vaccine safety. I’ve encountered these concerns before and have thoroughly examined the evidence, only to find that they are unfounded.
I’m genuinely curious—what benefits do you see in vaccines? What beneficial role do you think they play in public health?
While I am working in other areas of drug discovery now, for about two decades my primary task at work was studying how pathogens evolve resistance to drugs. My analysis was one of many essential pieces for getting five antiviral drugs to market. I have worked on data that went into an FDA submission, so I know how strict the standards are for approval of a new drug.
Now, I work from home and get my vaccinations at Walgreens or the hospital. But in the days when I went to the lab in person, every year I stood in line with fellow Infectious Disease Researchers for our flu shots. Those of us who have spent large portions of our adult lives studying the science trust vaccines in our own bodies, and the bodies of those we love.
Here is evidence that I know what I am talking about:
What amazing news about the impact of HPV vaccine! Not too many cancer preventing vaccines out there! Quick note on the influenza vaccine: babies who are receiving their first flu vaccine this year should still get the second dose as scheduled for full protection. After two doses in the first year, they will only need a single dose following years for full protection. Otherwise, they will need 2 doses a month apart next year for full protection.
Metal Health. It would be great to know the impact of the first six week's of Trump's presidency on mental health in different communities and what's being done about it.
The nominee for CDC director--David Weldon--is anti-vaxx, anti-abortion, supports the link between vaccines and autism and will likely disband ACIP. I'm very interested in his hearing on Thursday.
I am curious to know whether the increased fatality rate of this measles outbreak might also partly be a signal of population-level immune system damage from COVID infections. I often wonder if (and am open to the possibility that) this is my iteration of conspiracy theory energies, to wonder if we are seeing/ignoring/refusing to look at population level fallout from unmitigated COVID spread.
Would appreciate a deep dive into religious exemptions. Specifically what religious doctrines prohibit vaccines? I realize personal and religious are often clumped together. Pastors of what denomination are applauding non vax ? Is this because of theology or personal belief ?
Must add that I spent years as a school nurse collecting REs. Those Student Imm records were never consistent. Some vaccines given. Others not. A DOH employee quipped one year that “ some families change religions annually.”I could never find a faith that strictly forbade health promotion and safety.
Thank you for the reminder about hantavirus. I was aware of it previously, and we wore N95 masks while recently cleaning out an area of our garage that a rat has made a home in, but I was thinking more about general “ickiness” and “rats can carry diseases” than hantavirus specifically, and I probably would have been more careful if I had been thinking about it.
I am sure you are correct in assuming that the number of measles cases in NM/Texas is far higher than officially reported. I was a public school teacher in NM for many years, and know that families in that area tend to request religious exemptions from vaccines required for school. They also tend not to take kids to the doctor when they get sick -- they are likely to "just let them get over it naturally" than seek out medical help. All the more reason to combat medical misinformation and vaccine myths.
Hello YLE Team! A friendly correction from some Infectious Disease Epis in New Mexico: CDC does NOT recommend sweeping or vacuuming when cleaning up rodent droppings, as it can cause virus particles to disperse in the air. Instead, CDC recommends the attached procedure for cleaning the droppings. Please let your readers know! How to Clean Up After Rodents | Healthy Pets, Healthy People | CDC https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-pets/rodent-control/clean-up.html
For a deeper dive topic: I'd really like to see something to help understand how we should be viewing Covid at this point, in particular in terms of the risk of Long Covid. How should we be factoring in Covid risk in deciding how completely to return to "normal" life -- going to a restaurant, seeing a play, etc.?
I’ve shared them with, among others, my dentist and endocrinologist, both of whom were immediately interested. I suspect every health care provider now is looking for ways to improve their own abilities to communicate about these issues in this fraught environment, particularly on subjects like vaccines, on which YLE is an indispensable resource.
Please continue to call out health care lies and misinformation from Kennedy and Trump.
I think the audience for this blog already knows there is zero evidence for, and lots of evidence against, any link between vaccines and autism. While I think it would be wonderful if we could convince those who distrust vaccines of their safety, we aren't the ones who can do that. I wish I knew who could.
Yes, although I'm not sure if people are interested in the epidemiology behind the rise of autism and what may be explaining it. I should have clarified that more; this poll only allowed a certain number of characters, unfortunately.
Oh please include “rise of autism” as a future poll option!! Would also appreciate your perspective on the rise of the neurodiversity acceptance movement and how our understanding of autism is evolving. Thank you!
Oh, yes, if there is more content beyond what we all know that might be of interest. I suppose you're referring to the evidence that the rise in diagnosis is mainly due to more cases being detected rather than a real increase?
The diagnostic criteria for autism have also been significantly altered multiple times since it was first introduced as a condition.
Right! Detection of conditions-diseases (I think the term is "case ascertainment," but I'll defer to those who know more about this than do I) may not reflect a "true" level of prevalence-incidence. As Miriam noted, one important factor is the definition used in identifying cases. Those definitions have changed dramatically since I first worked with children who only some people said has "autism." There's also the phenomenon called "diagnostic substitution" (some children we used to say had "intellectual disabilities" or "learning disabilities" now are said to have "autism" or "HFA"). Beyond that, there's been increasing public awareness of autism—which is a good thing!—that probably has contributed to more frequent self-diagnoses (though, that's back to ascertainment, definition, and etc.).
You are, though! Health professionals—broadly speaking—remain the most trusted source of vaccine information, and that includes many in this audience. But the key isn’t to focus on convincing—while necessary, minds rarely change with evidence alone. Trust, values, and effective conversations matter just as much.
While we might not always be the ones who can do that directly, we can still shape the conversation—whether by supporting those who are trusted in hesitant communities or by modeling productive, evidence-based dialogue ourselves.
I won’t pretend there’s an easy answer, but I do think we have a role to play.
"Health professionals" at the CDC covered up a 1999 study where they compared fully unvaccinated with their vaccinated counterparts. What did they find? That the vaccinated group was far more sick in every metric and that SIDS was 70 percent more likely in said group:
Report on findings Part 1: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/government-corruption/fully-vaccinated-vs-unvaccinated/
Report on findings Part 2: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/government-corruption/fully-vaccinated-vs-unvaccinated-part-2/
Archived report on findings part 1: https://archive.is/yfo0k
Archived report on findings part 2: https://archive.is/evUwY
The CDC claims this study never existed. In fact they committed purgery to cover it up. It did. This is among the biggest crimes of the century.
During a November 2012 Congressional hearing on autism before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Dr. Coleen Boyle, the Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, gave evasive answers to lawmakers pressing her on this point. After considerable badgering, she finally stated, “We have not studied vaccinated versus unvaccinated [children].” That was perjury.
https://www.c-span.org/clip/house-committee/user-clip-testing-autism-between-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-children/4201064
--
Effects of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis or tetanus vaccination on allergies and allergy-related respiratory symptoms among children and adolescents in the United States
Results: The odds of having a history of asthma was twice as great among vaccinated subjects than among unvaccinated subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 6.74). The odds of having had any allergy-related respiratory symptom in the past 12 months was 63% greater among vaccinated subjects than unvaccinated subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 2.54). The associations between vaccination and subsequent allergies and symptoms were greatest among children aged 5 through 10 years.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10714532/
--
Increased Risk of Noninfluenza Respiratory Virus Infections Associated With Receipt of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine
TIV recipients had higher risk of confirmed noninfluenza respiratory virus infection (RR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.19–10.1).
...
TIV recipients had an increased risk of virologically-confirmed non-influenza infections (relative risk: 4.40; 95% confidence interval: 1.31-14.8).
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3404712/
--
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000 data were analyzed and adjusted for survey design by Taylor Linearization using SAS version 9.1 software, with SAS callable SUDAAN version 9.0.1. The odds of receiving EIS were approximately nine times as great for vaccinated boys (n = 46) as for unvaccinated boys (n = 7), after adjustment for confounders. This study found statistically significant evidence to suggest that boys in United States who were vaccinated with the triple series Hepatitis B vaccine, during the time period in which vaccines were manufactured with thimerosal, were more susceptible to developmental disability than were unvaccinated boys.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02772240701806501
This is not a "very interesting post". it is disinformation from the exact sources cited in her article that are spreading vaccine fear and medical misinformation, RFK and his lobbying group. You're here, both of you, it appears, to continue chipping away at susceptible people's trust in established science and to promote alternative "treatments" that the wellness industry can sell us.
Read it for God’s sake, it has dozens of studies which show vaccines are extremely harmful.
Explain to me how SIDS is 70% more likely after vaccination for kids who have it and those who don’t?
"dozens of studies which show vaccines are extremely harmful."
Uh, no.
I don't know how old you are, but you're healthy enough to be posting here today because either you and/or people before you got vaccinated against a variety of pathogens.
Uh yeah, here they are:
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/Vaxxed-Unvaxxed-Parts-I-XII.pdf
multiple citations from unaffiliated, science-based sources, should you care to look beyond RFKs relentless disinfo, which is all you are citing:
https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-safety/vaccines-and-other-conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/sids.html#:~:text=Multiple%20research%20studies%20and%20safety,are%20not%20linked%20to%20SIDS.
https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/conditions-and-symptoms/conditions/sids/#:~:text=The%20evidence%20that%20links%20stomach,to%20sleep%20on%20their%20backs.
Every source cited comes directly from peer reviewed studies. Not to mention the fifteen studies archived here:
https://tritorch.com/degradation/VaccineInducedAutismStudies/
To those reading, follow every study listed here and find they are all 100% legitament and paint a very dark picture:
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/Vaxxed-Unvaxxed-Parts-I-XII.pdf
There is a reason the CDC purgered itself by claiming they never made a Vaccinated vs Unvaccinated study when they did - it’s because the results were catastrophic. Again, here is that purgery:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4201064/testing-autism-vaccinated-unvaccinated-children
Here is the archived testimony of a medical doctor who ran his own study of both his vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. When pressed by his medical board to prove that his no-vaccine plan for his adolescent patients was as safe as the CDC schedule? Turns out it was basically 99% less damaging based on every metric he could measure: https://old.bitchute.com/video/gROe4FJFExbD/
His license was revoked for his trouble (this one is a must watch if you have yet to see it)
I hear your concerns. It sounds like you’re concerned there is a decades-long conspiracy spanning multiple countries, thousands of scientists, and countless health professionals—all working together to hide the truth about vaccine safety. I’ve encountered these concerns before and have thoroughly examined the evidence, only to find that they are unfounded.
I’m genuinely curious—what benefits do you see in vaccines? What beneficial role do you think they play in public health?
While I am working in other areas of drug discovery now, for about two decades my primary task at work was studying how pathogens evolve resistance to drugs. My analysis was one of many essential pieces for getting five antiviral drugs to market. I have worked on data that went into an FDA submission, so I know how strict the standards are for approval of a new drug.
Now, I work from home and get my vaccinations at Walgreens or the hospital. But in the days when I went to the lab in person, every year I stood in line with fellow Infectious Disease Researchers for our flu shots. Those of us who have spent large portions of our adult lives studying the science trust vaccines in our own bodies, and the bodies of those we love.
Here is evidence that I know what I am talking about:
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6439-5038
According to the Following Doctors Your MD Has Had Little Training on Vaccines…
…with exception to the that they are the safe and effective saviors of mankind. Watch:
https://substack.com/@tritorch/note/c-94476569
Seriously take a few minutes and watch that. It’s eye opening to say the least.
Very interesting post. It's going to take me the good part of this day to read all the links contained herein but definitely will do!
Autism prevalence from 1986 (the same year congress granted immunity to vaccine makers) to 2020:
1 in 1,000 then (1986)
1 in 54 (2020)
https://tritorch.com/degradation/AutismPrevalance1970-2020.png [archived image]
No evidence of the link between vaccines and autism? Here are 15 archived studies showing those links:
https://tritorch.com/degradation/VaccineInducedAutismStudies/Sources/PDF/
(Archived because they get scrubbed from search engines to validate "no evidence" comments like yours.
This is a good trusted resource on 25 studies showing no link from immunize.org: https://www.immunize.org/wp-content/uploads/catg.d/p4026.pdf
Doctors who discourage vaccinations and push unapproved therapies should face sanctions from their local licensing authority.
What amazing news about the impact of HPV vaccine! Not too many cancer preventing vaccines out there! Quick note on the influenza vaccine: babies who are receiving their first flu vaccine this year should still get the second dose as scheduled for full protection. After two doses in the first year, they will only need a single dose following years for full protection. Otherwise, they will need 2 doses a month apart next year for full protection.
Indeed.
And cervical cancer is only one of the cancers the HPV vaccine prevents.
Metal Health. It would be great to know the impact of the first six week's of Trump's presidency on mental health in different communities and what's being done about it.
The nominee for CDC director--David Weldon--is anti-vaxx, anti-abortion, supports the link between vaccines and autism and will likely disband ACIP. I'm very interested in his hearing on Thursday.
And... largely disappeared the past 10 years. Seems like he came out of nowhere. I will be also very interested to follow
Given how the GOP has rolled over and given the Idiot-in-Chief everything he wants so far, prospects don't look good.
This administration is an absolute disaster for public health (and for so much else).
As ever, "Eventus stultorum magister est." Fools must be taught by experience.
Status of COVID vaccines for those over 65? Is a spring dose in the works? Are there updates to the formulation? Any advice would be valuable.
Hi Ellen- Great question! I included a section on this last week. Check it out here: https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/spring-covid-shot-measles-listeria
Will check it out. I missed a week while I was in Yellowstone. :)
Yellowstone! One of my favorite places. Hope it was lovely!
It was lovely
I am curious to know whether the increased fatality rate of this measles outbreak might also partly be a signal of population-level immune system damage from COVID infections. I often wonder if (and am open to the possibility that) this is my iteration of conspiracy theory energies, to wonder if we are seeing/ignoring/refusing to look at population level fallout from unmitigated COVID spread.
Would appreciate a deep dive into religious exemptions. Specifically what religious doctrines prohibit vaccines? I realize personal and religious are often clumped together. Pastors of what denomination are applauding non vax ? Is this because of theology or personal belief ?
Must add that I spent years as a school nurse collecting REs. Those Student Imm records were never consistent. Some vaccines given. Others not. A DOH employee quipped one year that “ some families change religions annually.”I could never find a faith that strictly forbade health promotion and safety.
Thank you for the reminder about hantavirus. I was aware of it previously, and we wore N95 masks while recently cleaning out an area of our garage that a rat has made a home in, but I was thinking more about general “ickiness” and “rats can carry diseases” than hantavirus specifically, and I probably would have been more careful if I had been thinking about it.
I am sure you are correct in assuming that the number of measles cases in NM/Texas is far higher than officially reported. I was a public school teacher in NM for many years, and know that families in that area tend to request religious exemptions from vaccines required for school. They also tend not to take kids to the doctor when they get sick -- they are likely to "just let them get over it naturally" than seek out medical help. All the more reason to combat medical misinformation and vaccine myths.
What is the status of the research for the nasal vaccine spray for all SARs viruses?
Hello YLE Team! A friendly correction from some Infectious Disease Epis in New Mexico: CDC does NOT recommend sweeping or vacuuming when cleaning up rodent droppings, as it can cause virus particles to disperse in the air. Instead, CDC recommends the attached procedure for cleaning the droppings. Please let your readers know! How to Clean Up After Rodents | Healthy Pets, Healthy People | CDC https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-pets/rodent-control/clean-up.html
For a deeper dive topic: I'd really like to see something to help understand how we should be viewing Covid at this point, in particular in terms of the risk of Long Covid. How should we be factoring in Covid risk in deciding how completely to return to "normal" life -- going to a restaurant, seeing a play, etc.?
Please include latest update on Covid. Thank you.
Thank you, as always, for your invaluable reports. I encourage all here to let others, including your health care providers, know about the YLE substack, and for those in NY, Marissa Donnelly’s YLE offshoot here: https://yourlocalepidemiologistny.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile
I’ve shared them with, among others, my dentist and endocrinologist, both of whom were immediately interested. I suspect every health care provider now is looking for ways to improve their own abilities to communicate about these issues in this fraught environment, particularly on subjects like vaccines, on which YLE is an indispensable resource.