Vaccine court's ruling adds to confusion over autism link

Experts caution that the case, involving an underlying mitochondrial disorder, does not have broad application regarding vaccine safety.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. April 7, 2008.

Washington -- Physicians are being called upon, once again, to address concerns about the safety of childhood vaccines. This time families' queries are driven by a special vaccine court's decision to pay for the care of a young girl injured by vaccines.

The court ruled last fall that 9-year-old Hannah Poling's underlying mitochondrial disorder was aggravated by the shots which she received as a toddler and resulted in brain dysfunction and "features of autism spectrum disorder."

News of the ruling made waves after it was recently leaked to the public.

The case, however, does not have broad application, and families can be reassured that having their children vaccinated is still the safer approach, experts said.

The mention of autism caught the attention of some who have long suspected that vaccines trigger the condition. However, a preponderance of scientific evidence gathered by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies and Institute of Medicine reports has cleared vaccines and the mercury-containing vaccine preservative thimerosal of autism involvement. Regardless, many parents and others remain unconvinced.

The advice for physicians in light of the new case is to "know what this set of events says and doesn't say," said Louis Z. Cooper, MD, a member of the National Network for Immunization Information's steering committee. NNii, a group to which the AMA belongs, provides science-based vaccine information.