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A special "vaccine court" has finally closed the door on claims that vaccines containing thimerosol are not responsible for autism.

The ruling was aimed at the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, more commonly known as the MMR vaccine. But its effect could just as well be applied to all approved vaccines, and should be.

As we all know, there is a new culture of opposition to vaccines that is both absurd and bad for public health. These parents, led by several celebrities (and gee whiz, how many times do we have celebrities abusing their status for such flat-earth initiatives?), have suddenly made it chic and cool to not vaccine children because of some perceived risk.

Here are two story links on the topic. The first is from Stacy Garfinkle's column On Parenting, which appears in the Washington Post.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2009/02/the_original_vaccineautism_stu.html?hpid=topnews

The Original Vaccine/Autism Study Debunked

Eleven years ago, a study appeared in The Lancet that linked the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine to autism. On Sunday, The Times of London ran an investigative story saying that altered data was behind the study all along.

The Times' story isn't the first to dispute those original vaccine claims that sparked the continuing vaccine debates that still exist today. Study after study of MMR have shown no link of the vaccine to autism. But it is a reminder of just how easily we can all be played when it comes to our kids.

Just take a bunch of health news in recent weeks and years. Salmonella found in Peanut Corp. of America's processing plant and foods made from products from that plant are affecting sales of jarred peanut butter. Not that anything has been found to be wrong with jarred peanut butter; in fact, it's a pretty healthy food in small portions.

International studies on BPA and phthalates have made us question our use of plastics, from water bottles to cans of food lined with the chemicals. Mercury in fish makes us rethink what seafood to feed our pregnant selves and our families. Lead in toys has us scrambling to remove dangerous toxins from our toy bins. Our cleanliness and obsessions with Purell are causing some of our health issues. Recent news stories on potential dangers of high fructose corn syrup are being e-mailed friend to friend, sister to sister. And these are just the bigger topics.

While it's good to be informed and make the best choices we can for our kids, The Times' story is a reminder that life just is sometimes. We can't always explain why our kids may have allergies or asthma or autism or cancer or colic just as we can't explain why some kids are mellow and some are hyper, why some are clumsy and others are athletic. And we can't -- and shouldn't -- feel guilty for not preventing all the bad stuff.

So, while I won't be giving up our metal water bottles anytime soon, I don't have a problem if my kids eat a little dirt. And while I may not be a fan of corn syrup, I'm not going to snatch something out of their hands that has the stuff in it. And just as I continued to take my kids to the park in the midst of the sniper shootings in Maryland several years ago, I'm not going to yank peanut butter from the pantry.

Are there news stories that make you feel responsible for something in your child? How do you handle it? And what do you think of latest information about that original MMR vaccine study?

By Stacey Garfinkle| February 11, 2009; 9:00 AM ET |

Here is a post regarding the Washington Post story that pretty much sums the situation up:

Andrew Wakefield's falsified study has led to a resurgence in measles in Britain, as frightened parents have foregone the vaccine. Two children have died, with more undoubtedly to follow. That charlatan's lies have cost lives.

So the Lancet study was doctored! Sorry for the pun. And people took that doctored study and ran with it, and as a result children are dying. Now if there is any justice, those people will catch the disease and suffer mightily. And parents, perhaps otherwise normally well-educated, are just too damn smart for their own good and wind up doing something just plain stupid -- not inoculating their children.

Of course there are risks. There are risks when you leave your house, take a bath, and order food at a restaurant. There are risks on the playground and in the classroom. You can never eliminate all risks -- but you can surely make some terrible decisions which serve to magnify known risks. This is the road the anti-vaccine flat-earthers have taken.

Here is the MSNBC story:

Court says vaccine not to blame for autism

Blow for parents who claimed measles shots caused their children's disorder The Associated Press updated 4:01 p.m. ET, Thurs., Feb. 12, 2009

WASHINGTON - Vaccines aren’t to blame for autism, a special federal court declared Thursday in a blow to thousands of families hoping to win compensation and to many more who are convinced of a connection.

The special masters who decided the case expressed sympathy for the families, some of whom have made emotional pleas describing their children’s conditions, but the rulings were blunt: There’s little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link.

The evidence “is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive,” concluded Special Master Denise Vowell. “Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding” of autism.

Science years ago reached the conclusion that there’s no connection, but Thursday’s rulings in a trio of cases still have far-reaching implications — offering reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise, and last fall a Minnesota baby who hadn’t been vaccinated against meningitis died of that disease.

The special court represented a chance for vindication for families who blame vaccines for their children’s autism. Known as “the people’s court,” the U.S. Court of Claims is different from many other courts: The families involved didn’t have to prove the inoculations definitely caused the complex neurological disorder, just that they probably did.

More than 5,500 claims have been filed by families seeking compensation through the government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and Thursday’s rulings dealt with the first three test cases to settle which if any claims had merit. The first cases argued that a combination of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine plus other shots triggered autism.

“I must decide this case not on sentiment but by analyzing the evidence,” said Special Master George Hastings Jr., writing specifically about Michelle Cedillo of Yuma, Ariz., who is disabled with autism, inflammatory bowel disease and other disorders that her parents blame on a measles vaccine given at 15 months.

Disappointed families
“Unfortunately, the Cedillos have been misled by physicians who are guilty, in my view, of gross medical misjudgment,” Hastings concluded.

Attorneys for the families said they were disappointed and may appeal.

“There was certainly no scientific proof that vaccines caused autism, but that’s not the standard; the standard is likelihood,” said Kevin Conway of Boston who represented the Cedillos. “We thought our evidence was solid.”

“Certainly those three families are discouraged with the ruling,” added Tom Powers, a Portland, Ore., attorney overseeing all the claims. “It’s a big step, it’s a significant step but it’s not the last step.”

Indeed, the court’s ruling will do little to change the minds of parents who believe vaccines have harmed their children, said the head of a consumer group that questions vaccine safety, the National Vaccine Information Center.

“I think it is a mistake to conclude that because these few test cases were denied compensation, that it’s been decided vaccines don’t play any role in regressive autism,” said Barbara Loe Fisher, the center’s president.

The court still must rule on additional cases that argue a different link — that vaccines that once carried the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal are to blame, if the mercury reached and damaged brain cells — and Powers said families making those claims remain hopeful. The court has given no timetable for a ruling.

‘Great day for science’
But Thursday’s rulings clearly gave great credence to numerous large studies that have looked for but not found any link between the measles vaccine, other vaccines and autism.

“Hopefully, the determination by the special masters will help reassure parents that vaccines do not cause autism,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that pledged to continue research into possible causes and better treatments.

“It’s a great day for science, it’s a great day for America’s children when the court rules in favor of science,” said Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and developer of a vaccine for rotavirus.

“A choice not to get a vaccine is not a risk-free choice,” Offit added, pointing to recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases that authorities suspect are partly due to delayed or rejected vaccinations.

Autism is best known for impairing a child’s ability to communicate and interact. Recent data suggest a 10-fold increase in autism rates over the past decade, although it’s unclear how much of the surge reflects better diagnosis.

Worry about a vaccine link first arose in 1998 when a British physician, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, published a medical journal article linking a particular type of autism and bowel disease to the measles vaccine. The study was soon discredited, and British medical authorities now are investigating professional misconduct charges against Wakefield.

Then came questions about thimerosal, a preservative that manufacturers began removing from all vaccines given to infants in 2001. Today it is present only in certain formulations of the flu shot.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29160138/

Here's my proposal:  In addition to making MMR and other vaccines mandatory for entry into public school, make flu shots mandatory for all school-age children.  Give them at school or get them done at a doctor's office.  If someone objects on "religious grounds," say "fine,"and excuse them for all of flu season and send them home.  They can learn online, or they can be perpetually held back until they are old enough to make their own vaccine decisions.  Or, until they can ask for condoms, in which case a flu shot is a prerequisite for obtaining condoms from school.