On April 22, the following abstract was forwarded by Dr. Vijendra K. Singh

POSITIVE TITERS OF MEASLES AND MEASLES-MUMPS-RUBELLA ANTIBODY ARE RELATED TO MYELIN BASIC PROTEIN AUTOANTIBODY IN AUTISM. V. K. Singh. University of Michigan, College of Pharmacy, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.

Autoimmunity has been pathogenetically-linked to infantile autism, a disorder of brain development. We previously showed positive titers to anti-neuronal antibodies, in particular myelin basic protein (MBP) autoantibody. To examine a correlation between serology and autoantibody, we measured titers of measles antibody, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine antibody, and MBP autoantibody. By using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, positive titers of measles antibody were found in 32 out of 38 (84%) autistic sera and 12 out of 17 (70%) normal sera. Moreover, 28 out of these 32 (88%) measles-positive autistic sera, but none of the normal sera, were positive for MBP autoantibody. By using an immunoblotting technique, MMR antibody was detected in 16 out of 27 (59%) autistic sera and 2 out of 20 (10%) normal sera. This result showed a 6-fold higher incidence of MMR antibody in autistic children. Furthermore, 13 out of these 16 (81%) MMR-positive autistic sera, but none of the normal sera, were positive for MBP autoantibody. Thus, a significant number of autistic children have positive titers of measles and MMR antibody which in a vast majority of cases (81-88%) is associated with the presence of MBP autoantibody. In view of this correlation between serology and autoantibody, we suggest that a measles- and/or MMR-triggered autoimmune response to myelin may play a pathogenesis role in autism.

Dr. Singh has worked with Dr. Hugh Fudenberg and the late Dr. Reed Warren. Dr. Gupta in the 1996 Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders article, Dr. Fudenberg in the 1996 Biotherapy article and Dr. Wakefield in his Feb 28th Lancet article have referenced Dr. Singh's work in regard to autoimmunity and autism. Dr. Singh also has done testing for Dr. James Oleske in his IVIG studies in NJ and Dr. Paul Orchard in his IVIG studies in Minnesota.
Ray Gallup end

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 98/109 Tuesday 24th March 1998

MMR VACCINE IS NOT LINKED TO CROHN'S DISEASE OR AUTISM

Conclusion of an expert scientific seminar

A scientific seminar to review the work of the Royal Free Hospital Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group was held at the Medical Research Council (MRC) yesterday. The seminar was held at the request of Sir Kenneth Calman, Chief Medical Officer.

Sir Kenneth said:
"Based on the views of the experts at the MRC meeting, and on previous material that I have studied, I have concluded there is no link between measles, measles vaccine or MMR immunisation and either Crohn's Disease or autism.

"I strongly advise parents to continue to have their children immunised with MMR vaccine, as presently recommended, and I am writing to all health professionals with that advice.

"I am deeply concerned at reports that some parents are not having their children immunised and therefore want to stress that:

MMR is a highly effective vaccine;

based on the evidence presented at the MRC seminar yesterday, there is no correlation between MMR and measles-containing vaccines and Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis;

there is no evidence that giving the component vaccines separately has any benefit;

giving the vaccines separately may even be harmful because it would expose children and their contacts to these serious diseases over a much longer period;

no evidence was presented to suggest that MMR vaccination gives rise to autism, but the age at which MMR is usually given coincides with the age at which autism is often recognised: this does not mean that one causes the other."

Sir Kenneth added that a better understanding is needed of the causes of Crohn's Disease and of autism but emphasised that he concluded that MMR vaccine was not in any way implicated in the cause of these conditions.

NOTES TO EDITORS 1. Sir Kenneth will also send health professionals a summary of the topics discussed at the meeting.

2. At the request of the CMO the MRC convened a group of national and international experts, including WHO, on 23 March to consider recent work on measles, MMR vaccine, Crohn's Disease and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The group included experts in virology, epidemiology, immunology, paediatrics, child psychiatry, autism, gastroenterology and Crohn's Disease. Unpublished material was also examined.

END

Tuesday March 10, 1998 7:28 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

Leading Autism Research Organization Proposes Establishment of New Centers to Study Autism Causes

PRINCETON, N.J., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Alliance for Autism Research, the nation's leading non-profit organization devoted to biomedical research in autism, has proposed the establishment of five new Centers for Research in Autism Epidemiology to study the causes and prevalence of autism.

Dr. Eric London, vice-president for medical affairs of the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and the father of a ten year-old child with autism, said that ``we have noted with considerable interest the recent controversies surrounding questions concerning the relationship between childhood immunizations and the development of autism. While there is growing scientific evidence that the origins of autism are predominantly genetic, occurring in the early months of fetal development, it is clear that environmental factors also play a role and it is important to carefully consider any issue which may contribute to this devastating life-long disorder, including the effect of childhood immunizations, maternal rubella, fetal PKU, toxins and other possible factors.''

``However,'' he said further, ``there is a much larger issue here. In spite of the fact that autism is the nation's third most common childhood developmental disability, affecting an estimated one in seven hundred children, as a nation we are badly lagging in the amount of funding available for autism research. Not too long ago autism was believed to be a 'rare' disorder. However, recent studies overseas suggest that the prevalence of autism ranges from 11-15 per 10,000 -- which is three to four times higher than the rates found in studies conducted in the U.S. 15-20 years ago. With the exception of three small studies undertaken in the early 70's and 80's, our national public health policy has been based on the work of scientists in Europe, Japan and Canada because no national assessment of autism and its related disorders has ever been undertaken in the United States. As we reach the end of the 'Decade of the Brain,' this is not a situation of which Americans -- those affected by autism and those who care about our children's health -- can be proud. Furthermore, there have been newspaper accounts of autism clusters, where parents are alarmed at the unusual number of families with autistic children within a small geographic area. (The latest is in Brick Township, New Jersey).

``To address this issue, we propose the establishment this year of five new Centers for Research in Autism Epidemiology to carefully assess the prevalence of autism in this country and to collect the kind of information necessary to evaluate such questions as the role of childhood immunizations. We agree that further research is critical and the time has come to mount a major research effort based on rigorous epidemiological study.''

According to London, broad-scale epidemiological studies have proven to be invaluable, not only to ascertain the extent of a disease or disability, but also to develop effective preventions and treatments. Spina bifida and anencephaly (both neural tube defects), for example, affect thousands of babies every year in the United States. However, careful epidemiological investigation has demonstrated that if women of childbearing age consume a small amount of folic acid daily, a substantial number of these devastating birth defects can be prevented.

The proposed centers would be located in different sections of the country and their mission would be to establish and monitor the prevalence and incidence of autism in their regions. They would conduct population-based surveillance and epidemiological studies along the lines of the highly successful Centers for Birth Defect Research and Prevention established by Congress in 1996 through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to surveillance, the centers would also conduct epidemiological case-control studies to examine prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors involved in the etiology of autism. Each center would develop or expand an area of specific expertise (e.g. genetic markers, immunology, early maternal drug and other exposures, neuroimaging, etc.) with a care set of epidemiological risk factors collected across the centers.

London said, further, that ``we would urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assume responsibility for the new autism research centers. We believe the CDC has demonstrated itself over many years to be responsive to the healthcare needs of American children; its commitment to the highest standards of scientific excellence is proven and it has the capability to mount an autism research program of national scale.''

According to NAAR's plan, the CDC would prepare and evaluate proposals, on a peer-reviewed basis, from university research programs, independent research institutes and others for the establishment of these Centers. To make these centers a reality, however, would require Congress to appropriate $1,000,000 per center per year, a tiny fraction of the $13 billion annual costs associated with autism.

Because of its complex and pervasive character -- language, motor, cognitive, and emotional deficits -- it has been said that answers to the puzzle of autism may be the ``Rosetta Stone'' for other brain disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorders, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, social phobia, childhood disintegrative disorder, receptive-expressive language disorder, and others that affect millions of Americans.

Rigorous epidemiological surveillance, however, is fundamental to this promise and the proposed Centers for Research in Autism Epidemiology would be an important step in this direction.

Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the National Alliance for Autism Research was established in 1994. It is dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure of the autism spectrum disorders through biomedical research. It makes research awards, up to $60,000 over a two-year period, for innovative proposals highly ranked by its Scientific Advisory Board for scientific merit and promise to autism; conducts conferences for parents and scientific working groups for scientists on issues of importance to autism research; provides fellowships to promising young scientists to encourage their entry into careers of autism research; distributes educational information, such as its quarterly newsletter, NAARRATIVE, on research issues, and administers programs, such as the Autism Tissue Program with the Autism Society of America, to strengthen research capabilities.

SOURCE: National Alliance for Autism Research web address for NAAR,

For more information, call 703-938-0342

for immediate release March 3, 1998

PARENT GROUPS AND VACCINE POLICYMAKERS CLASH OVER RESEARCH INTO VACCINES, AUTISM AND INTESTINAL DISORDERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Responding to newswire stories in which vaccine policymakers at the Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics attempted to discredit a study published in the Feb. 27 The Lancet reporting a new syndrome involving inflammatory bowel disease and autism in children following viral infection or MMR vaccination, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) called the attack on the British scientists "a threat to independent scientific research and the public health."

The object of the attack by US vaccine policymakers were 13 British scientists, led by gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield, M.D., who reported that they studied 12 previously normal children between three and 10 years old who developed severe intestinal disorders. Eight of the 12 children also developed behavior problems and developmental delays diagnosed as autism, with the parents or the child's physician reporting the health problems began soon after MMR vaccination. Five of the children had a history of previous reactions to vaccination before receiving the MMR shot that was associated with a marked peterioration in their health.

The team of British scientists, who have announced they have investigated more than 40 other cases of children suffering from the same syndrome, emphasized in the published study that they were not claiming to have proved a cause and effect relationship between MMR vaccine and the children's health problems. They are calling for more studies to resolve the question of whether persistent viral infection, either from natural disease or live virus vaccines, can cause disregulation in the absorption of diet peptides leading to chronic inflammation of the bowel and damage to central nervous system development in some children.

Federal public health officials and vaccine policymakers in the American Academy of Pediatrics quickly jumped on Wakefield and his colleagues and attempted to publicly discredit the study. In an editorial published in the same issue of The Lancet, federal health officials Robert Chen and Frank De Stefano charged that "vaccine safety concerns such as that reported by Wakefield and colleagues may snowball" when the public and the media "confuse association with causality and shun immunization." The CDC officials discounted the study's importance and suggested the children's health problems following vaccination were "coincidental" and not caused by vaccination.

This was followed by a Reuter's newswire story on Feb. 27 that quoted AAP physician vaccine policymaker Neal Halsey saying it was "highly inappropriate" for the British scientists to discuss a possible association between the children's health problems and measles or MMR vaccines in their study. A leading proponent of mandatory measles vaccination, Halsey conducted studies in the third world using an experimental high potency measles vaccine that were eventually halted after the discovery of an excess of number of deaths in girl children who had been given the experimental measles vaccine.

Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, said that "for 15 years we have been hearing from parents and reporting to the government that children are dying and getting very sick after being vaccinated. It is tragic that vaccine policymakers in the government and the private sector would prematurely condemn independent clinical and basic science research which could lead to the identification of children perhaps genetically or otherwise at high risk of being injured by vaccines. The kind of cutting edge research that Dr. Wakefield has undertaken could lead to screening techniques and therapies for these children. We need more science and less stonewalling. Parents are outraged and they should be."

The incidence of autism and other chronic immune and neurological dysfunction in children has climbed dramatically in the US in the past 30 years. One in 1,000 children now diagnosed as autistic, making autism more prevalent among children than childhood cancer, multiple sclerosis or cystic fibrosis.

Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., founder and director of Autism Research Institute and founder of the Autism Society of America, said "It is ludicrous to claim that the link between many cases of autism and vaccination is just coincidental. Dr. Wakefield's group has greatly expanded our understanding of one possible mechanism. The blunt truth is that some children are harmed by vaccinations. Research, not denial, is the proper response to this report."

Portia Iverson, founder and president of CAN, the Cure Autism Now foundation said "Approximately one-half of the hundreds of parents who call our office each month report that their child became autistic shortly after receiving a vaccination. While some of the criticism launched at Wakefield's preliminary results is valid in that, yes, the onset of epilepsy, autism and other developmental disorders often do occur at the same time vaccines are routinely given - isn't it the responsibility of the government to take a proactive position on behalf of these children rather than a defensive one? A more consumer protective response would be to conduct a scientific investigation that proves or disproves the association rather than to discredit the preliminary report of such an association and the reports by thousands of parents."

Although more than one billion dollars is appropriated by Congress every year to federal health agencies to develop new vaccines, buy vaccines and promote the use of vaccines, none of that money is used to fund independent, non-governmental researchers to investigate why and how some children develop serious health problems following vaccination. After the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 was passed, NVIC began calling for basic science research studies into the biological mechanism of vaccine injury and death as well as large controlled studies comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated children for all morbidity and mortality outcomes over time to answer basic science questions about vaccine-associated immune and neurological

dysfunction.

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) in Vienna, Virginia is a non-profit, educational organization founded in 1982 by parents whose children were injured or died following vaccination. The largest and oldest consumer vaccine safety advocacy organization, NVIC handles thousands of requests for information as well as vaccine injury reports every year and has 25,000 supporters in the U.S. and around the world. The Autism Research Institute founded in 1967 in San Diego, California conducts research and disseminates scientific information on autism and has the world's largest database on autistic children with more than 30,000 cases in 60 countries. Cure Autism Now foundation, headquartered in Los Angeles, California was founded in 1995 and has 15,000 supporters nationwide and is currently the largest non-governmental funding agency for biomedical research into autism. -end-

SUBJECT MATTER ....Autism

A British Scientist Presents A New Insight

AUTHOR....... Celia M. Bibby BA (Hones) Psy. (Univ. Of Kent) MSc (Eng) (Univ. of Birmingham) MAE (Assoc.)

TITLE...."AUTISM - A CONDITIONED RESPONSE TO BIOCHEMICAL TOXICITY?"

BACKGROUND.....The culmination 4 years intensive research into the hitherto "hiddem world" of the autistic condition, this paper opens up a new understanding of causation and the brain mechanisms involved.

The paper also aims to promote a debate amongst scientists, health professionals caring for autists, their families and governments who assess their needs.

AVAILABILITY....The paper is available on-line at Ranger Information Systems Limited

FEEDBACK.....E-mail to "info@ranger.co.uk"
Telephone on +44 (0) 1622 683 866
Facsimile on +44 (0) 1622 683 855
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