PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: September 29, 2006

Contact: Rita Shreffler, NAA (Nixa, MO) 417-818-9030 Wendy Fournier, NAA (Portsmouth, RI) 401-632-7523

National Autism Association Questions Suggestion that Injected Mercury from Flu Shots is “Safe” for Pregnant Women and Infants

Small scale study in Bangladesh touted as evidence that a known neurotoxin can be safely injected into humans 

Nixa, MO - Findings from a small study conducted in Bangladesh are being promoted as proof that the benefits to pregnant women and infants from mercury-containing flu shots outweigh the risks.  Advocacy organizations including the National Autism Association (NAA) today are questioning the wisdom of continuing to promote the injection of mercury through influenza and other vaccines, particularly when the developing brain of a fetus or infant is a factor.

The Bangladesh study involved only 340 women, while a study conducted in the U.S. of 50,000 women and infants over five flu seasons found no difference in those given influenza vaccines and controls for flu or flu-related illnesses. To read the study visit http://nationalautismassociation.org/pdf/Pregfluvaxineffective2004.pdf

According to the Physician’s Desk Reference, the flu vaccine is considered a category C drug.  Drugs in this classification have not undergone animal reproductive studies and should only be administered during pregnancy if the benefit far outweighs the risk.

“It defies all reason that our government agencies continue to tell the public that injecting mercury has no consequences for unborn children, at the same time warning pregnant women not to eat too much fish because of the threat posed by mercury to the developing brain,” commented Laura Bono, NAA board member and mother to a mercury-injured son.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends flu shots for pregnant women and annually for children 6 months through 5 years of age.  Most flu shots contain 25 micrograms of mercury, an amount considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency for an adult weighing 550 pounds.

According to a paper on the ACIP recommendations for pregnant women by F. Edward Yazbak, MD and David Ayoub, MD in the 2006 summer issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons:

• There is no convincing evidence of the effectiveness of influenza vaccination during this critical period.

• No studies have adequately assessed the risk of influenza vaccination during pregnancy.

• Thimerosal, a mercury based preservative present in most flu shots has been implicated in human neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.

• The ACIP policy recommendation of routinely administering influenza vaccine during pregnancy is ill advised, unsupported by current scientific literature and should be withdrawn.

• Use of thimerosal during pregnancy should be contraindicated.

The ACIP’s next meeting is scheduled for October 25 and 26 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.  NAA is encouraging parents to attend the meeting or send letters to the committee urging them to adopt a policy of eliminating thimerosal from vaccines, especially those intended for pregnant women and children.  To register for the meeting, go to www.cdc.gov/nip/acip/dates.htm

For more information on autism, visit www.nationalautism.org.

-30-

Think Autism. Think Cure.