Canadian study finds no autism-vaccine connection.

A major study has found no relationship between vaccine use and the incidence of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). [Fombonne E and others. Pervasive developmental disorders in Montreal , Quebec, Canada : Prevalence and links with immunizations. Pediatrics 188:e139-e150, July 2006]

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/e139

After examining what happened to 27,749 children born from 1987 to 1998 who attended the 55 English-speaking schools in the province of Quebec , the researchers concluded:

** After June 1996, all pediatric vaccines were thimerosal-free. The overall prevalence of PDD was higher, but the prevalence among thimerosal-exposed children was lower than the prevalence among those who had not been exposed. This ruled out an association between PDD and thimerosal exposure.

** The overall PDD increase was most likely due to (a) broadening of diagnostic concepts and criteria, (b) increased awareness and identification of cases, and (c) improved access to services, which brought more cases to light.

** There was no relationship between PDD and measles-mumps-rubella vaccinations (which never contained thimerosal).

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Mercury scaremongers sharply criticized in judge's ruling. A federal court judge has struck a major blow against spurious legal actions which claim that mercury exposure is a cause of autism. With a brilliant analysis, the judge dismissed a lawsuit by a couple who claimed that RhoGAM shots the mother received during pregnancy and shortly after delivery had caused their child to become autistic. (RhoGAM is used to prevent destruction of the newborn's red blood cells due to an Rh-factor incompatibility between mother and child.) The couple charged that the mercury preservative (thimerosal) in the shots was responsible. There is no scientific evidence that mercury is a causative factor, but the parents hoped to establish a connection through testimony by Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D., who has testified in about 100 cases of alleged vaccine injury that that thimerosal in vaccines caused autism. However, the judge concluded:

**When subjected to extensive cross-examination, Geier could not point to a single study that conclusively determined that any amount of mercury could cause the specific neurological disorder of autism.

**Geier's conclusion that the peer-reviewed literature he has relied upon supports his theory that autism can be caused by thimerosal is flatly contradicted by all of the epidemiological studies available at this time.

**Geier's testimony was excluded or accorded little or no weight in more than ten of the vaccine cases. In one case, the special master who presided over the case referred to him as "intellectually dishonest." In another case, the special master referred to him as "a professional witness in areas for which he has no training, expertise, and experience." http://www.casewatch.org/civil/geier.shtml

**Because  the parents could not establish causation, the RhoGAM case could not proceed.

The judge's memorandum has been posted at

http://www.casewatch.org/civil/rhogam/memo.shtml