Autism & Vaccines: Hannah Poling
U.S. Ruling Acknowledges Autism-Vaccination Link in Poling Case
Mar 7, 2008 Victoria Anisman-Reiner
In what is being called either a landmark case or a very exceptional one, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ruled that Hannah Poling's autistic symptoms were triggered by thimerosal, a preservative present in vaccines the Georgia girl, now 9 years old, was given at 18 months of age.
What is Thimerosal?
Thimerosal (or Thiomersal) is a preservative present in many vaccines. It is an antiseptic and antifungal agent.
Thimerosal is a mercury compound, and has long been rumored to be linked to autism and brain disorders. It is considered toxic and may have cumulative effects.
Thimerosal has been removed from many vaccinations in the United States, but is still present in flu vaccine preparations.
Was Thimerosal the Cause of Hannah Poling's Autism?
Although naturopaths and holistic practitioners have been calling out for a change to vaccinations and an end to thimerosal use for years, medical and drug experts have insisted that the chemical is safe at the levels administered in vaccines.
Hannah Poling was given a series of 9 childhood vaccines in 2000 when she was a year and a half old. Within two days, her behavior had changed and she was crying, screaming inconsolably, and exhibiting high fever. Shortly after, she began to show typical signs of autism.
The story is not as clear-cut as it seems: genetic testing reveals that Hannah suffers from a rare mitochondrial disorder that may be the original cause of her autistic symptoms and could have been affected by the vaccines she was given.
Hannah Poling's case is being called "an exception" by news and medical experts hoping to prevent the outspoken anti-vaccine contingent from taking this ruling further than it applies.
"I think it is important to be very careful here," said medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta on a CNN broadcast yesterday morning. "This is just one particular case that we're talking about. We don't even know all the details yet. They're going to come out later on this morning probably, but we do know that she had this underlying [mitochondrial] condition, she got the vaccines, and… she started to have some troubles."
Yet Gupta also says, "This may be the first case where there's actually compensation given to the family of the girl based on vaccines specifically."
Current reports maintain that it was not the vaccine itself that caused Hannah Poling's condition, but only "exacerbated" a mitochondrial disorder that was already present.
What Does This Mean for Other Children?
According to an NBC report, there are over 5,000 other related vaccination cases currently in the U.S. justice system. Many of these will undoubtedly seek to use the ruling in the Polings' favor to lend support to their own.
Whether or not they will succeed depends on how the law interprets this case, given Hannah Poling's rare mitochondrial disorder and the focus on the vaccines as an intervening trigger to an already-existing problem.
Yet with millions of children vaccinated each year with thimerosal, the implications of this case may be significant.
Despite their daughter's experience, Poling's parents are outspoken in their support of vaccines. "We are absolutely pro-vaccine," said Hannah's mother, Terry Poling. "What we want is safe vaccines."
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With information sourced from NBC, CNN, Thimerosal News, News Locale
Related reading: The Trouble with Vaccinations
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