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" On June 4, 2008, actress Jenny McCarthy, mother of a 6-year-old son with autism and spokesperson for the organization Talk About Curing Autism, led a &amp;quot;Green Our Vaccines&amp;quot; march and rally in Washington, D.C., with her boyfriend, actor-comedian Jim Carrey. McCarthy and many of the 8,500 people joining her were gathering to call for safer vaccines--demanding, for instance, legislation to eliminate toxins, such as mercury and aluminum, from kids&amp;#039; shots (mercury is part of the vaccine preservative thimerosal; aluminum makes vaccines more effective by stimulating the body&amp;#039;s immune response) and requesting that Congress take a closer look at the mandatory immunization schedule. McCarthy is among those who believe that vaccines have played a role in the autism epidemic. Her new book, Mother Warriors, tells the stories of parents whose children have recovered from autism, and she has served as a voice for many mothers and fathers who are concerned about vaccines.  If there is a connection between vaccines and autism, top health experts, including those from the CDC and the independent nonprofit Institute of Medicine, say they haven&amp;#039;t found it. Their stance is based on at least 10 large-scale scientific studies. &amp;quot;Parents need to know that the world&amp;#039;s brightest scientists have concluded that there is no association between vaccines and autism,&amp;quot; says CDC director Julie Gerberding, M.D.  But many parents and advocates don&amp;#039;t accept the government&amp;#039;s reassurances. Theresa Wrangham, president of the Coalition for SafeMinds, an organization that raises awareness of the risks of mercury exposure, says that the studies often cited by the government are poorly designed or otherwise flawed and are marked by conflicts of interest. (In some cases, for instance, the study authors had ties to the vaccine industry.) Wrangham&amp;#039;s group believes that more independent studies are necessary to prove that the ingredients in vaccines, particularly thimerosal, are safe. The group is also pushing for a review of the current vaccine schedule--including the combinations in which the shots are given--to determine if it poses a danger to children. &amp;quot;No one wants to argue that vaccines haven&amp;#039;t helped us,&amp;quot; says Wrangham. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s clear they&amp;#039;ve had an effect. What&amp;#039;s not clear is whether they have a downside.&amp;quot; Parents who believe that vaccines have harmed their children have some recourse: They can file a petition through the government&amp;#039;s Health Resources and Services Administration&amp;#039;s (HRSA) Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) to receive compensation for medical expenses, special education costs, therapies, and even future lost earnings. The program handles claims dealing with a wide range of conditions and vaccines. The first autism-related VICP claim appeared in 1999, and since then, more than 5,000 claims have been filed. Many involve the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination (which raised suspicions when one 12-patient British study--later found to have unreliable data--speculated that the MMR vaccination caused bowel problems that led to developmental regression), the thimerosal found in other vaccines, or a combination of the two. (For more information about VICP, log on to hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation.)  According to the HRSA, the government has never provided compensation based on a determination that autism was caused by vaccines, but that statistic seems to be subject to interpretation, considering the outcry that resulted from a recent case: Last November, the family of Hannah Poling, a 9-year-old girl with autism, was awarded compensation after filing a petition with VICP. Some called it a victory. &amp;quot;The Poling situation is a case of vaccine-induced autism, and it seems like the government&amp;#039;s position is softening,&amp;quot; says Wrangham. But public health officials say their position hasn&amp;#039;t changed, explaining that the Polings received compensation because vaccines aggravated an underlying disorder Hannah already had--mitochondrial disease--which consequently led to brain disease with symptoms of autism. Until there&amp;#039;s a clear understanding of autism&amp;#039;s causes, the debate about vaccines will rage on. All sides agree, however, on one thing: There&amp;#039;s a desperate need for more research on the causes of, and cures for, this devastating condition. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/advice/a3902/do-vaccines-cause-autism/>