Vaccinated Children Two And A Half Times More Likely To Have Neurological Disorders Like ADHD And Autism, New Survey In California And Oregon Finds

As the first trial
in Vaccine Court explores the relationship between vaccines and autism, a
new survey released today indicates a strong correlation between rates of
neurological disorders, such as ADHD and autism, and childhood
vaccinations.



The survey, commissioned by Generation Rescue, compared vaccinated and
unvaccinated children in nine counties in Oregon and California. Among more
than 9,000 boys age 4-17, the survey found vaccinated boys were two and a
half times (155%) more likely to have neurological disorders compared to
their unvaccinated peers. Vaccinated boys were 224% more likely to have
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and 61% more likely to
have autism.



For older vaccinated boys in the 11-17 age bracket, the results were
even more pronounced. Vaccinated boys were 158% more likely to have a
neurological disorder, 317% more likely to have ADHD, and 112% more likely
to have autism. Complete survey results are available at
GenerationRescue.



Generation Rescue commissioned the phone survey. Data was gathered by
SurveyUSA, a national market research firm, which surveyed parents by phone
on more than 17,000 children, ages 4-17, in five counties in California
(San Diego, Sonoma, Orange, Sacramento, and Marin) and four counties in
Oregon (Multnomah, Marion, Jackson, and Lane).



The survey asked parents whether their child had been vaccinated, and
whether that child had one or more of the following diagnoses: Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD), ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Development
Disorder -- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), or Autism. The phone survey
was chosen to mirror the methodology the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
uses to establish national prevalence for neurological disorders in their
national phone survey.



Timed to the release of the survey results, Generation Rescue also ran
full-page advertisements in Washington's Roll Call, The Oregonian, and The
Orange County Register today. The ad compares the 36 pediatric vaccines the
CDC recommends today to the 10 recommended in 1983, and asks, "Are We Over-
Vaccinating Our Kids?"



"No one has ever compared prevalence rates of these neurological
disorders between vaccinated and unvaccinated children," said J.B. Handley,
co-founder of Generation Rescue, whose son was diagnosed with autism. "The
phone survey isn't perfect, but these numbers point to the need for a
comprehensive national study to gather this critical information."



In Washington, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has been advocating
for such a survey. Co-sponsored by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Rep. Ron
Paul (R-TX), the "Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and
Unvaccinated Population Act of 2006," or H.R. 2832, was introduced on June
22, and would require the National Institutes of Health to complete this
research.
















"Generation Rescue's study is impressive and forcefully raises some
serious questions about the relationship between vaccines and autism. What
is ultimately needed to resolve this issue one way or the other is a
comprehensive national study of vaccinated and unvaccinated children," said
Congresswoman Maloney. "The parents behind Generation Rescue only want
information. These parents deserve more than road blocks, they deserve
answers. We can and should move forward in search of those answers. That's
why I've introduced a common sense bill that would require the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a comprehensive, comparative study on
the possible link between autism and thimerosal."



From 1983 to 2007, autism rates have climbed from 1 in 10,000 children
to 1 in 150 children, a growth rate of 6,000% (boys are significantly more
affected by neurological disorders, accounting for approximately 80% of all
cases). ADHD currently affects 1 in 13 children. In the same period, the
CDC's recommended vaccine schedule more than tripled. The simmering debate
over the cause of childhood neurological disorders shows no sign of
cooling, but no study had ever been done to look at unvaccinated children.




Lisa Handley, co-founder of Generation Rescue, adds, "Everyone working
with autism wants to identify the cause so we can focus on treatment and
prevention. A national study like HR 5940 could help end this debate and
focus all of our resources on helping our kids. Its time has come, and we
hope Congress will choose to put our children first."



About Generation Rescue



Generation Rescue was formed by parents of children who have been
diagnosed with childhood neurological disorders (NDs), and is dedicated to
examining the causes and biomedical treatments for Autism, Asperger's,
ADHD, ADD, PDD-NOS, and other learning disabilities. Visit
GenerationRescue for more information and to see complete survey
results.


Generation Rescue

GenerationRescue