Weldon, Major Autism, Speech Disorder Organizations Voice Concern Over CDC's Use of Vaccine Safety Datalink to Investigate Thimerosal

11/4/2003

From: Cheri Jacobus of Capitol Strategies, 202-547-7358, or CheriJacobus@aol.com; Sallie Bernard of Safe Minds, 970-429-1460, sbernard@safeminds.org

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 -- U.S. Congressman Dave Weldon, a physician, and groups representing children with autism and speech/language disorders have raised concerns over the use of the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) by the CDC's National Immunization Program (NIP) and others involved in promoting childhood immunization. An NIP paper published in the November 2003 Pediatrics uses the VSD to investigate associations between thimerosal in vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and speech/language delay. The Pediatrics study represents the fourth version of the data analysis by the NIP team.

In an Oct. 31 letter to CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding, Congressman Weldon, MD, stated, "I have reviewed the article and have serious reservations about the four-year evolution and conclusions of this study." The letter continues to say, "There may have been a selective use of the data to make the associations in the earliest study disappear" and remarks "how easily the authors could manipulate the data and have reasonable sounding justifications for many of their decisions."

Rules established by the CDC have made access to the VSD by independent researchers virtually impossible. Representative Weldon has called for opening the VSD to independent analysis. Echoing these sentiments, major organizations representing families affected by autism or speech/language delay have issued the following joint statement:

Vaccine Safety is an important public health issue. The Vaccine Safety Datalink database must be made available to all qualified research scientists in a timely manner. The current practice of restricting access to the database to a limited group of possibly biased individuals is not acceptable.

The organizations signing the joint statement are: Apraxia Kids, Autism Research Institute, Autism Society of America, Cherab Foundation, Cure Autism Now, Safe Minds, Speechville Express, and Unlocking Autism.

The letter from Congressman Dave Weldon to Dr. Julie Gerberding can be accessed at http://www.house.gov/weldon. The autism and speech organizations' joint statement and background information can be accessed at http://www.safeminds.org.