Vaccine/Developmental Disorder Rulings Differ on Opposite Sides of Pond

30th August, 2010

3 September 2010, Autism, News of the Week, Newsletter

Federal Court of Appeals Says No Link Between Vaccines and Autism

[Source: Associated Press]
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a ruling that vaccines are not to blame for autism.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision last year by a special vaccine court, which concluded there’s little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link.
Scientist years ago reached that conclusion, but more than 5,500 families sought compensation through the government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Friday’s ruling came in the case of 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.
Read More From the AP

British Courts Award Family £90,000 Saying that MMR Vaccine Caused Boy’s Disabilities

By Heidi Blake | Telegraph
Robert Fletcher, 18, was a healthy 13-month-old baby when he was given the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. He now suffers from frequent epileptic fits, is doubly incontinent and is unable to stand, talk or feed himself.
The Department of Health denied any link between his disabilities and the controversial jab, but a medical assessment panel ruled last week that Mr Fletcher became severely disabled as a direct result of the MMR.
It is thought to be the first compensation award in an MMR case since the vaccine became a focus for controversy in 1998, when the now discredited Dr Andrew Wakefield claimed it could be linked to autism.
Medical legal experts said last night that the ruling could open the floodgates to thousands of similar claims by families who believe their children have been adversely affected by the jab.
Read the Rest of this Story in the Telegraph

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