Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination timing and autism among young african american boys: a reanalysis of CDC data

Background:A significant number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder suffer a loss of previously-acquired skills,suggesting neurodegeneration or a type of progressive encephalopathy with an etiological basis occurring after birth.The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectof the age at which children got their first Measles-Mumps-Rubella(MMR)vaccine on autism incidence.This is a reanalysis of the data set,obtained from the U.S.C enters for Disease C ontrol and Protection(CDC),used for the Destefano et al.2004 publication on the timing of the first MMR vaccine and autism diagnoses.Methods:The author embarked on the present study to evaluate whether a relationship exists between child age when the first MMR vaccine was administered among cases diagnosed with autism and controls born between 1986 through 1993 among school children in metropolitan Atlanta.The Pearson's chisquared method was used to assess relative risks of receiving an autism diagnosis within the total cohort as well as among different race and gender categories.Results:When comparing cases and controls receiving their first MMR vaccine before and after 36 months of age,there was a statistically significant increase in autism cases specifically among African American males who received the first MMR prior to 36 months of age.Relative risks for males in general and African American males were 1.69(p=0.0138)and 3.36(p=0.0019),respectively.Additionally,African American males showed an odds ratio of 1.73(p=0.0200)for autism cases in children receiving their first MMR vaccine prior to 24 months of age versus 24 months of age and thereafter.Conclusions:The present study provides new epidemiologic evidence showing that African American males receiving the MMR vaccine prior to 24 months of age or 36 months of age are more likely to receive an autism diagnosis.

Retraction: Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination timing and autism among young African American boys: a reanalysis of CDC data

Retraction The Editor and Publisher regretfully retract the article[1]as there were undeclared competing interests on the part of the author which compromised the peer review process.Furthermore,post-publication peer review raised concerns about the validity of the methods and statistical analysis,therefore the Editors no longer have confidence in the soundness of the findings.We apologise to all affected parties for the inconvenience caused.

A two-phase study evaluating the relationship between Thimerosal-containing vaccine administration and the risk for an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in the United States

Background:Autism spectrum disorder(ASD)is defined by standardized criteria of qualitative impairments in social interaction,qualitative impairments in communication,and restricted and stereotyped patterns of behavior,interests,and activities.A significant number of children diagnosed with ASD suffer a loss of previously-acquired skills,which is suggestive of neurodegeneration or a type of progressive encephalopathy with an etiological pathogenic basis occurring after birth.To date,the etiology of ASD remains under debate,however,many studies suggest toxicity,especially from mercury(Hg),in individuals diagnosed with an ASD.The present study evaluated concerns about the toxic effects of organic-Hg exposure from Thimerosal(49.55%Hg by weight)in childhood vaccines by conducting a two-phased(hypothesis generating/hypothesis testing)study with documented exposure to varying levels of Thimerosal from vaccinations.Methods:A hypothesis generating cohort study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between exposure to organic-Hg from a Thimerosal-containing Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular-Pertussis(DTaP)vaccine in comparison to a Thimerosal-free DTaP vaccine administered,from 1998 through 2000,for the risk of ASD as reported in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System(VAERS)database(phase I).A hypothesis testing case–control study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between organic-Hg exposure from Thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccines administered at specific intervals in the first six months of life among cases diagnosed with an ASD and controls born between 1991 through 1999 in the Vaccine Safety Datalink(VSD)database(phase II).Results:In phase I,it was observed that there was a significantly increased risk ratio for the incidence of ASD reported following the Thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccine in comparison to the Thimerosal-free DTaP vaccine.In phase II,it was observed that cases diagnosed with an ASD were significantly more likely than controls to receive increased organic-Hg from Thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccine administered within the first,second,and sixth month of life.Conclusions:Routine childhood vaccination is an important public health tool to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases,but the present study provides new epidemiological evidence supporting an association between increasing organic-Hg exposure from Thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines and the subsequent risk of an ASD diagnosis.