Steemian 
has just released part 2 of a well-written and creative series on Autism and vaccines, written as fiction, in the Sci-Fi genre.
I find the creative approach refreshing, but the arguments contained in the series are flawed.
It is in the spirit of honest discourse and debate, and not merely "being right," that I write this point-by-point criticism of the piece.
In the story, the protagonist, Mary, is afforded the unique opportunity to talk to an artificial intelligence equipped robot, who has access to top secret government information. Basically, this robot has totally destroyed lots of the state's corrupt plans, and Mary is excited to ask the bot why the government is covering up the connection between Autism and vaccines.
The AI responds:
“Alright. It is not a fact that vaccines cause autism, so the government can’t deny it. It is a fact however, that autism is caused by a mixture of genetic mutations, epigenetic influences and environmental factors. Do you want to hear about this?”
Criticism:
The above statement by the AI is interesting. Several peer-reviewed studies have suggested there may be a link and that it is imperative this potential link be investigated.
In fact, the head of the CDC has directly stated that vaccines can and do trigger Autism like symptoms in children with certain mitochondrial predispositions. Testing is not done to determine which children are at risk.
I quote the former head of the CDC:
Now, we all know that vaccines can occasionally cause fevers in kids. So if a child was immunized, got a fever, had other complications from the vaccines. And if you're predisposed with the mitochondrial disorder, it can certainly set off some damage. Some of the symptoms can be symptoms that have characteristics of autism.
~ Julie Gerberding, Head of CDC, on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's "House Call," CNN, 2008
SOURCE:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/29/hcsg.01.html
SOME PERTINENT, PEER-REVIEWED STUDIES CALLING FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/9756729/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12145534/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17974154/
http://www.progressiveconvergence.com/Hepatitis%20B%20Vaccination%20male%20neonates%201997-2002.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21225508/
http://adventuresinautism.com/Hewitsonetal2010.pdf
In Part 2 of the series the AI reassures Mary that thimerasol and aluminum adjuvants being injected directly into the bloodstream of infants (who, as such, do not yet have fully developed immune systems) is completely safe. Why?
The AI states:
“That is true. But after 6 days, half the ethyl mercury is cleared from the human body. If it was methyl mercury, that time would be 40 to 50 days and thus a lot more dangerous. But if you wait four weeks, all the ethyl mercury is cleared from the system, even in infants.
Criticism:
The CDC itself disagrees with AI here. Ethylmercury may be less detectable, and thus said to be "cleared" from the body, but actually there is evidence suggesting it is merely metabolized faster and crosses the blood-brain barrier very easily.
"This scientific paper is the one of most important pieces of research to come out of the CDC in a decade," Paul Thomas, M.D., a Dartmouth-trained pediatrician who has been practicing medicine for 30 years, said. "It confirms what so many already suspected: that public health officials have been making a terrible mistake in recommending that we expose babies and pregnant women to this neurotoxin. I regret to say that I gave these shots to children. The CDC led us all to believe that it was perfectly safe."
The AI is dishonest about the safety of ethyl mercury being injected directly into the bloodstream. While ethyl mercury's half-life is much shorter than that of methyl mercury, the fact the the World Health Organization says it doesn't have time to accumulate in the body is really irrelevant here. As the studies listed above suggest, and as the field of immunology knows, an invasive element in the bloodstream need not "accumulate" to do damage, even severe, neurological damage.
links to this WHO source at the bottom of the post. The WHO source states:
Further, ethyl mercury is actively excreted via the gut, unlike methyl mercury, which accumulates in the body. This rapid elimination of ethyl mercury has been confirmed in all studies reviewed, even those that looked at low birth-weight infants.
This is extremely telling given the knowledge we now have about disorders of the gut and Autism. These connections are referenced in some of the studies listed above. This is common knowledge know, in science and medicine.
The New England Journal of Medicine and Stanford University also beg to differ with AI.
SOURCE.
You can learn more about the gut/nervous system connection here:
https://futurism.com/scientists-call-for-more-research-into-link-between-autism-and-gut-bacteria/
Finally, some snippets from the comments section.
SUESA:
...a death by one of these preventable diseases is still worse than any suspected side-effects.
KAFKA:
Not really, if you have read the actual package inserts.
SUESA:
...likely to be a newborn with whooping cough who wasn't yet vaccinated and picked it up from some unvaccinated older person.
KAFKA:
Yes, and the fact that vaccine-conferred immunity generally wanes after 10 years (see vaccine package inserts) contributes to the false sense of security that leads to these tragedies. Also, we are now beginning to witness a lack of transmission of breastmilk conferred immunity as most young mothers now have never had wild-type measles, etc., and thus have no immunity to pass on, due to vaccination.
SUESA:
Those who refuse to vaccinate endanger everyone who isn't able.
KAFKA:
This is an assertion, and not an argument. As my immunocompromised friends and the folks at Johns Hopkins Hospital will tell you, the recently vaccinated also put these infant and immunocompromised populations at risk.
Instead of attempting to shame others (not saying you are) we should be having a discussion. Why? Because the reason the "debate" is so heated is because most genuinely care about the well-being of our inestimably precious and beautiful little ones.
For my source on the Johns Hopkins claim above, and some input on the topic from immunocompromised individuals here on Steemit, you can reference this post:
For information regarding the duration of vaccine-conferred immunity (links and screen shots of actual vaccine inserts), check out this link:
Summary:
I find the series "Autism and Vaccines" to be a unique approach to an often challenging topic, but to be, nevertheless, severely wanting in scientific rigor and logical reasoning.
The worst comment below the piece, left by a reader of
''Are you a doctor? No.'' case closed!"
I suppose I need to be a mechanic to ask why my car's engine blew, immediately after getting it back from the shop.
I'll close with this:
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)