In a case being reported by the Associated Press, a child has been awarded compensation from the federal vaccine injury fund because the vaccines she received may have worsened the symptoms of her rare disease.
The child, now nine years old, received 5 vaccines one day when she was 19 months old. Shortly after that, she stopped walking and became less verbal. These behaviors are similar to those in autistic children. She was eventually diagnosed as having a mitochondrial disorder, and inherited genetic condition that cannot be caused by vaccines. However, the government panel could not say for certain that the vaccines did not trigger her symptoms of her disorder or worsening of her disorder. Therefore the vaccine court decided that she is entitled to compensation from the vaccine injury fund.
Note that this child does NOT have autism. She has a genetic disease which has some symptoms similar to that of autistic children. But headaches, for example, can be caused by stress or by a brain tumor. The two are obviously totally different. Also note that there is no evidence that the vaccines caused her decline; they cannot say for sure that they did not. Lastly, thimerosal (mercury preservative) has been mentioned in this case and in other vaccine-autism stories as well. Thimerosal is no longer in routine childhood vaccines. (It is also interesting to note that recent studies show that autism has continued to rise after taking all thimerosal out of vaccines).
Interestingly, the child’s father is a neurologist. He stated that, were he to do it over again, he would still give his daughter the vaccines, but perhaps not so many at one time. He understands that the vaccines did not give his daughter autism. Hopefully, the media and other parents will understand this as well.
