Once Again, Vaccines

Two somewhat recent publications related to the vaccine controversy have come across my desk. The first is an October 19, 2005 publication by the Cochrane Review, a compilation of information about all things medical. An international team of researchers reviewed the evidence found in 31 high-quality studies (out of a total of 139 studies found), creating the "most authoritative assessment yet available". These authors found that

1. . There is no credible link between MMR vaccine and any long-term disability, such as Crohn's disease or autism;
2. MMR is an important vaccine that has prevented diseases that carry a heavy burden of death
3. The lack of confidence in MMR has cause damage to public health
4. People arguing for or against any therapy need to make sure they have the facts, no opinion or hypotheses.

Demiceli et al: Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella in children. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 4.

So...the science clearly states that there is no vaccine/autism link, according to a well-known group of reputable medical authors, none of whom had any conflict of interest or proprietary interest in the studies, their funding, or the outcomes.

However, a new book, The Autism Book: What Every Parent Needs to Know about Early Detection, Treatment, Recovery and Prevention by Dr. Robert Sears, MD, is a little more provocative. He cites the studies indicating that there is no scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism, but he goes on to talk about some children being genetically or immunologically sensitive to the effects of vaccines....he says for parents who are expecting a second child after one diagnosed with autism, "Avoid mercury". He writes, "Your next child might have the same genetic risks that your child with autism has. It's therefore important to limit any factor that may be involved in autism. If vaccines, or the chemicals in them, play a role in autism, then, obviously limiting vaccines would be smart" (pp. 337-338).

Common sense? Or what parents want to hear? Dr. Sears also discusses how he believes the autism explosion is real, and not merely an artifact of better and broader diagnostic ability. Sears is a well-respected physician who has worked with children with autism for over a decade, and he offers hope, while admitting that the science isn't there yet. He describes biomedical treatments, how they work/if they work, and offers resources to parents ranging from mainstream (CDC, AAP) to the newer organizations (SafeMinds, TACA, Generation Rescue).

It sounds fair enough. How does it sound to you?