The autism community has been rocked with chaos this past week after a CDC whistleblower released highly volatile and controversial information. The information itself remains unconfirmed by reputable media sources, but the public response to the whistleblower's claims are unquestionably explosive.
A top researcher working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with Focus Autism Foundation's Dr. Brian Hooker, alleged that the CDC has been involved with vaccine research data manipulation reigniting the MMR and autism link, according to Yahoo News.
The alleged changes in data reportedly covered-up a higher incidence of autism in African-American boys receiving their MMR vaccine on schedule. The study in question was published in Pediatrics and is entitled, "Age at first measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in children with autism and school-matched control subjects: a population-based study in metropolitan Atlanta."
Dr. Hooker says he acquired related documents via a Congressional request from the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Citing the two sources, Hooker accused the CDC of widespread manipulation of scientific data pertaining to MMR vaccine safety.
Is this the CDC's 'Ed Snowden' moment? http://t.co/pOnkbG6eHL #CDCPantsOnFire #CDCWhistleblower pic.twitter.com/nqtlcjOCd4
— 21st Century Wire (@21WIRE) August 23, 2014
— 21st Century Wire (@21WIRE) August 23, 2014
#CDCwhistleblower admits MMR given on time causes a 340% increase in autism in boys. TWICE that for black boys. http://t.co/d9AUXklY4J — Holly Bortfeld (@TACANow) August 22, 2014
#CDCwhistleblower https://t.co/1mHE0aEPVj This will blow your mind and make you angry and sad if you are an #autism family — Rebecca (@therealmomofoc) August 23, 2014
The #cdc knew my son was at risk if developing autism from the MMR. He did. The damage and buck must stop here. #CDCwhistleblower
— Julia Streeter Berle (@juliasberle) August 22, 2014
— Julia Streeter Berle (@juliasberle) August 22, 2014
"Was there really a 3.36-fold increased risk for autism in African-American males who received MMR vaccination before the age of 36 months in this dataset? Who knows? Hooker analyzed a dataset collected to be analyzed by a case-control method using a cohort design. Then he did multiple subset analyses, which, of course, are prone to false positives. As we also say, if you slice and dice the evidence more and more finely, eventually you will find apparent correlations that might or might not be real. In this case, I doubt Hooker's correlation is real. "
Dear CDC, You owe Graison an apology. #YouKnew #CDCPantsonFire #CDCWhistleblower #CDCFraudRevealed pic.twitter.com/wWiD1XUXSd
— Crystal Mackey (@crystal_mackey) August 23, 2014
— Crystal Mackey (@crystal_mackey) August 23, 2014
@RobSchneider CDC owes our son Nicholas an apology for his vaccine injury. #CDCwhistleblower pic.twitter.com/cgL7g0iejj — Carolyn Gammicchia (@cgammicchia) August 23, 2014
CDC, you owe LoRenzo an apology #MMR tipped my son into #ASD hell.#CDCKNEW #CDCwhistleblower #CDCPantsOnFire pic.twitter.com/KvfrvS0m9e
— Diana Gonzales (@CravenBlood) August 23, 2014
— Diana Gonzales (@CravenBlood) August 23, 2014
The autism community is noticeably divided on the whistleblower's claims. Fiery debates have also erupted over how the autism community leaders are handling the fallout. As a result of the CDC whistleblower's confession and claims, an online petition has been started asking the medical journal Pediatrics to issue a public retraction of the study in question.
[Photo via Public Domain Photos]