The Vaccine-Autism Connection

The following is an excerpt from "What your Doctor may not tell you about children's vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave, M.D., F.A.A.F.P


The Vaccine-Autism Connection

Bernard Rimland, PH.D., a psychologist, father of an autistic child, and found of the Autism Society of America in 1965, established a databank that includes information on more than thirty thousand cases of autism from around the world. His analysis of the data shows that before the early 1980s most parents reported that signs of autism were apparent at birth or during the first year of life. But after the mid-1980s things changed: Suddenly the number of parents reporting that their children developed normally during the first year and a half, and then became autistic, doubled.

What had happened during that time? The combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) was added to the routine child vaccination schedule in 1979 and was given to children at age twelve to fifteen months. At first, the number of children vaccinated was low, but within a few years that changed as federal grants were given to the states so they could provide free MMR vaccines, along with free polio and DTP vaccinations and mandatory vaccination laws were more strictly enforced. In 1988, the Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine was added to that schedule.

The dramatic increase in autism continued, and so did the number of vaccines and doses added to the childhood vaccination schedule. Between 1993 and 1998, for example, autism increased 513 percent in Maryland. A total of twenty-four other states reported increases of more than 300 percent between 1992 and 1997. And in California the Department of Developmental Services reported a 273 percent increase in autism between 1987 and 1998.

By the end of the 1990s the average American child was receiving a total of thirty-three doses of 10 different vaccines by the time he or she was five or six years old, beginning with a hepatitis B shot at birth and ending with DTP/DTaP and polio vaccinations between four and six years of age. As the number of vaccines given increased, so did the incidence of autism. Not only did the number of vaccines climb but so did the percentage of children receiving them, as federal grants made free vaccinations available to low-income families.

And this fact highlights another interesting observation; Cases of autism were primarily confined to upper- and upper-middle-class families in the 1940s and 1950s. These individuals were the ones who could afford to pay for health care and vaccines for their children, as well as diagnostic testing. As the government made vaccines free to all who could not afford them, autism crossed class lines. Today autism is widespread in all socioeconomic groups.

The parallel increase in vaccinations and autism is only the overall picture. We need to take a closer look at the different factors that could explain it.

The Mercury/Thimerosal-Autism Connection

Between 1991 and 1999 the United States embarked on what might be labeled a bold, ill-planned experiment: the recommended vaccination of newborns with the hepatitis B vaccine. This vaccine contained 12.5 micrograms of mercury (thimerosal), which is more than twenty-five times the EPA “safe level” of 0.1 microgram per kilogram of body weight per day. This toxic dose was followed by not one but two more doses: one at one to two months and another at six months of age. In addition, infants and children were also given four doses of mercury-containing Hib at two, four, six and twelve to fifteen months of age; plus four doses of mercury-containing DTP at two, four, six and twelve to eighteen months of age. By the age of six months, vaccinated children had received 187.5 mcg (micrograms) of mercury – a poison that accumulated in their bodies because production of bile, which helps clear toxins from the body, is not developed in children less than four to six months of age.

When mercury can’t get out of the body, it travels to the brain, changes into inorganic mercury, clings to brain tissue, and damages the nervous system. Mercury doesn’t cling to just any part of the brain; it goes exactly to those areas involved in autism: the cerebellum, amygdale, and hippocampus. The cerebellum is involved in the execution of balance and movement, such as walking and running, and the smooth movements of the eye; the amygdale controls emotional processing; and the hippocampus is involved in the formation, sorting, and storage of memory.

Perhaps there is no way to better illustrate the relationship between mercury and autism than to look at the characteristics of each. The accompanying chart shows the similar and overlapping traits of mercury poisoning and autism in seven categories plus their similar population characteristics. These facts are strong evidence that many cases of autism that have been diagnosed in recent years and that continue to be diagnosed today are a form of mercury poisoning.

Comparison of Characteristic of Autism and Mercury Poisoning



CHARACTERISTIC: Movement Disorders

AUTISM: Arm flapping, jumping spinning, rocking, circling; abnormal posture and gait; clumsiness, uncoordinated; difficulties crawling, lying down, sitting, walking; difficulty swallowing or chewing; walking on the toes

MERCURY POISONING: Arm flapping, ankle jerks, rocking, circling; uncoordinated, clumsiness; inability to walk, stand, or sit; difficulty swallowing or chewing; walking on the toes



CHARACTERISTIC: Sensory abnormalities

AUTISM: Oversensitive to sound; abnormal sensation in the mouth, arms and legs; doesn't like to be touched

MERCURY POISONING: Oversensitive to sound; abnormal sensations in the mouth, arms and legs; doesn't like to be touched



CHARACTERISTIC: Speech, hearing, language problems

AUTISM: Delayed language or failure to develop speech; mild to severe hearing loss; problems with articulation; word use errors

MERCURY POISONING: Loss of speech or failure to develop speech; hearing loss; deafness at very high doses; problems with articulation; word retrieval problems



CHARACTERISTIC: Cognitive problems

AUTISM: Borderline intelligence, mental retardation; may be recovered; poor concentration, shifting attention; difficulty following multiple commands; difficulty comprehending words; difficulty understanding abstract ideas and symbols

MERCURY POISONING: Borderline intelligence, mental retardation: may be reversed; poor concentration and attention; difficulty following complex commands; difficulty comprehending words; difficulty understanding abstract ideas and symbols



CHARACTERISTIC: Visual problems

AUTISM: Poor eye contact; blurred vision

MERCURY POISONING: Poor eye contact; blurred vision



CHARACTERISTIC: Physical problems

AUTISM: Decreased muscle strength, especially in upper body, incontinence; rash, dermatitis; abnormal sweating, poor circulation, high heart rate, diarrhea, constipation, gas, abdominal discomfort; anorexia, feeding problems; seizures; tendency to have allergies and asthma; family history of autoimmune symptoms, especially rheumatoid arthritis

MERCURY POISONING: Decreased muscle strength, especially in upper body, incontinence, salivating; rash, dermatitis; abnormal sweating, poor circulation, high heart rate; diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain; anorexia, nausea, poor appetite; seizures; sensitive individuals more likely to have allergies, asthma; more likely to have autoimmune symptoms, especially rheumatoid arthritis



CHARACTERISTIC: Unusual behavior

AUTISM: Sleeping difficulties; injures self, such as head banging; staring, unprovoked crying, social isolation

MERCURY POISONING: Sleeping difficulties; injures self, such as head banging; staring, unprovoked crying, social isolation


These are just a few of the many similarities between people who have mercury poisoning and those with autism. At the biochemical and cellular levels, there are many additional similarities, which are much too technical to address here. This information was adapted from a heavily referenced research paper, "Autism: A Unique Type of Mercury Poisoning," by Sallie Bernard and associates, copyright ARC Research, 14 Commerce Drive, Cranford, NJ 07016, April 21, 2000.