By Associated Press and Herald Staff
The Everett Herald
updated 5:15 p.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 13, 2009
LOCAL NEWS - WASHINGTON -- Vaccines aren't to blame for autism, a special federal court declared Thursday in a blow to thousands of families hoping to win compensation and to many more who are convinced of a connection.
The special masters who decided the case expressed sympathy for the families, some of whom have made emotional pleas describing their children's conditions, but the rulings were blunt: There's little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link.
The evidence "is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive," concluded Special Master Denise Vowell. "Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding" of autism.
Science years ago reached the conclusion that there's no connection, but Thursday's rulings in a trio of cases still have far-reaching implications -- offering reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their children because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some diseases preventable with vaccines, including measles, are on the rise, and last fall a Minnesota baby who hadn't been vaccinated against meningitis died of that disease.
"We are thrilled," Dr. Jack Stephens, a pediatrician with The Everett Clinic, said of Thursday's court decision.
Stephens said parents often ask about the connection between immunizations and autism.
"I think we need to be honest about what we know and what we don't know," he said. "We don't know what causes autism. It's very hard to tell a parent that your child has a significant, life-long condition that I can't cure. And we don't know why this happened."
Although some people may try to pass off the court decision as part of a coverup, Stephens said he thinks the ruling will help swing public confidence.
Sometimes parents ask if they can space out the immunizations a little more broadly, which he said he is willing to do.
"Most people are just trying to do the right thing for their children," Stephens said.
In most cases, he said he's able to answer the questions and allay parents' concerns, and the child receives his or her routine vaccinations.
Dr. Roger Case, health officer for Island County, said he was happy to see the court "come down on the side of what we have known for many years -- there is no connection between autism and immunizations."
Many of the parents in Island County who don't allow their children to get routine immunizations do so because they're opposed to immunizations in general, not necessarily because of the fear of a link between immunizations and autism, he said.
"I think the faith they have in the physician has a lot to do with whether or not they'll proceed with immunizations," Case said.
The special court represented a chance for vindication for families who blame vaccines for their children's autism. Known as "the people's court," the U.S. Court of Claims is different from many other courts: The families involved didn't have to prove the inoculations definitely caused the complex neurological disorder, just that they probably did.
More than 5,500 claims have been filed by families seeking compensation through the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and Thursday's rulings dealt with the first three test cases to settle which if any claims had merit. The first cases argued that a combination of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, known by its shorthand MMR, plus other shots triggered autism.
"I must decide this case not on sentiment but by analyzing the evidence," said Special Master George Hastings Jr., writing specifically about Michelle Cedillo of Yuma, Ariz., who is disabled with autism, inflammatory bowel disease and other disorders that her parents blame on a measles vaccine given at 15 months.
"Unfortunately, the Cedillos have been misled by physicians who are guilty, in my view, of gross medical misjudgment," Hastings concluded.
Attorneys for the families said they were disappointed and may appeal.
Herald reporter Sharon Salyer contributed to this report.
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