Landmark Court Ruling Refutes Autism/Vaccine Link


 
3.2k
Shares
 

In a landmark court ruling, a special federal court declared that vaccines are not to blame for autism.  The court ruled there was little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link. One special master who decided the case called the evidence "weak, contradictory and unpersuasive."

While the special court expressed sympathy for the claims of the three families who brought the case, pediatricians welcomed the news.

"Hopefully this decision will put an end to this sad chapter in the search for the cause and treatment of autism spectrum disorders," says Leonard Rappaport MD, MS, chief of the Division of Developmental Medicine.

Despite countless studies documenting that vaccines do not cause autism, anecdotal stories and misinformation spread online has lead to a significant decrease in vaccination rates, says Rappaport. And that decrease does not come without a price: Some preventable diseases that can cause death, like measles, are now on the rise.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles cases in 2008 were at the highest level in more than a decade.

For pediatricians and health providers that have been struggling to convince parents about the safety of vaccines, this ruling is seen as powerful evidence.

"Providers spend so much time reassuring parents of the safety of vaccines," says Rappaport. "That time would be better spent providing high quality health care."

He also expressed optimism that this news will comfort families of children with autism who may have worried that they caused their child's autism.

And for those families searching for a cause, this ruling might also help move autism spectrum disorder research in a more fruitful direction.

"We're hopeful this decisive and clear court decision will allow researchers in autism spectrum disorders to direct their limited resources to other potential causes," he says.

 

Copyright 2009- American Society of Registered Nurses (ASRN.ORG)-All Rights Reserved


 
3.2k
Shares
 

Articles in this issue:

Masthead

  • Masthead

    Editor-in Chief:
    Kirsten Nicole

    Editorial Staff:
    Kirsten Nicole
    Stan Kenyon
    Robyn Bowman
    Kimberly McNabb
    Lisa Gordon
    Stephanie Robinson
     

    Contributors:
    Kirsten Nicole
    Stan Kenyon
    Liz Di Bernardo
    Cris Lobato
    Elisa Howard
    Susan Cramer

Leave a Comment

Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated. Please do not use a spam keyword or a domain as your name, or else it will be deleted. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation instead. Thanks for your comments!

*This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.