Tomfoolery Blog

Archive for the ‘autism’ Category

Ever since Wakefield published his Lancet paper, antivax ratbags have repeatedly tried to claim that vaccines cause autism. One such mechanism they propose is that the preservative thimerosol is involved. The basis for this is that each molecule of thimerosol contains an atom of mercury, so they equate injecting a vaccine to injecting a syringe full of mercury. Of course, this is a million miles from the truth. Nowadays, thimerosal is present in very few vaccines, and even if it is it is present in minute amounts. There is no evidence that thimerosol has ever caused ill health.

So, it should come as no surprise that the USA ‘vaccine court’ has ruled that thimerosol does not cause autism. This is yet another body blow for the antivaxxers, as they repeatedly mention this case (no longer pending) as being important to their cause. Will they give up in the light of this judgment? Almost certainly not, but hopefully this decision will shut them up for a time.

In the wake of the Wakefield scandal, I’d like to think that newspapers really consider articles on children’s health before printing them. But, what about animal health? Can that be covered with a different rulebook?

Well, guess what? The Daily Mail have published an article where any concerns about responsible reporting, fact checking and balance have been thrown out of the window. The article reports that a certain charity claims that vaccines ‘are making our dogs sick as vets cash in’, and it goes on to recycle a load of tired old antivax arguments, without providing any real evidence to back up their claims whatsoever. There is even a case of owner-diagnosis of ‘autism’ in their dog, Charlie the springer spaniel.

The ‘charity’ in question is Canine Health Concern. A quick browse through their website (in true ‘Welcome to 1997′ style) instantly reveals that the charity is quite simply, balls. It’s just reams of the usual antivax nonsense. They even endorse Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for dogs!

One quick question: can anyone tell me how on earth Canine Health Concern qualifies as a ‘charity’?

The Internet is full of sites which support the myth of the link between MMR and autism. One such site is ageofautism.com. As an example, I thought I’d bring up this article, where the authors try and make out that Wakefield is the victim of a witch-hunt. As you might expect, they bring up no facts to support their case, and completely miss the point of Wakefield’s “paper”. If you like delicious waffle, this site is for you!

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/03/the-wakefield-inquisition-case-series-insanity.html

Andrew Wakefield is getting his comeuppance, big time. He’s been shot down by the GMC, had not one, but two papers withdrawn from journals, and now, he has left the Thoughtful House Centre for Children, the very clinic that he set up.

So where does this leave Wakefield? On the face of it, it would appear that he no longer has a voice. But just how low will he stoop? He’s already been shown to bribe children at birthday parties, as well as perform unnecessary colonoscopies and lumber punctures. To be honest I really wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up at naturalnews.com.

One quote from the Times really riled me:

My work will continue at Thoughtful House until we get a definitive answer into whether vaccines can cause autism.

This is so unscientific it hurts. He’s starting with a conclusion and trying to prove it, which is turning the scientific method on its head. And anyway, all the peer-reviewed evidence shows that vaccines (in particular the MMR vaccine) do NOT cause autism. Funny how Wakefield never mentions any of that.

Scum.

In case you’ve been living under a rock the size of Hartlepool, Andrew Wakefield is the doctor who started the MMR-autism scare. He has since been held up in front of the GMC on charges of acting unethically, and his 1998 Lancet paper withdrawn.

More recently, he and his colleges published a study into the effects of a thiomersal-containing Hepatitis B vaccine on macaque monkeys. Their findings were published in the journal NeuroToxicology, and they suggested that the vaccines resulted in impaired neurological development.

Well guess what? It’s been withdrawn from the journal! As of yet I don’t know why, but I will keep you updated as soon as I find out!

As I’m sure you’re aware, the supposed ‘link’ between autism and the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine has received much press attention in recent weeks. The doctor responsible for the mess, Andrew Wakefield, has finally been disciplined by the GMC, and the Lancet has retracted his controversial 1998 paper.

However,the ‘controversy’ refuses to go away. I thought I’d share with you a link that has been going around the antivax community. A link with the startling title ‘Scientific Link to Autism Identified’:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scientific-link-to-autism-identified-70354482.html

Now, if you are familiar with the process of peer review, I don’t need to tell you that this link should set alarm bells the size of Hampshire ringing. As you might expect, this links to a PR company. Scientists do not go to PR agencies with their latest research, they publish in journals.

Anyway, delve into the article and you will find that the so-called link is based on the predictions of a mathematical model. That’s not so bad, models are certainly useful (if I do say so myself). However, is this model available? No.Is it possible to work out why the model predicts what it does? Absolutely not.

The model was developed by the The Center for Modeling Optimal Outcomes. They sound like a wealth of potential quackery, so I’ll keep you updated in future posts.

I’ll leave you with this: if an antivaxer ever points you to this, ask them how it demonstrates a link between autism and MMR. You will be met with a stunned silence.