Mnookin - The panic virus: the true story behind the vaccine-autism controversy

ALSO BY SETH MNOOKIN

Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts, and Nerve
Took a Team to the Top

Hard News: The Scandals at The New York Times and
Their Meaning for American Media

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Copyright 2011 by Seth Mnookin

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First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition January 2011

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mnookin, Seth.
The panic virus : a true story of medicine, science, and fear / Seth Mnookin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. VaccinationHistory. 2. VaccinationPsychological aspects.
3. Health behavior. 4. Mass media and culture. I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Vaccinationhistory. 2. Vaccinationpsychology.
3. Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice. 4. Mass Media. 5. Panic. WA 115]
RA638.M675 2011
614.4'7dc22
2010036579

ISBN 978-1-4391-5864-7
ISBN 978-1-4391-6567-6 (ebook)

For Sara and Max

A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on.

PROVERB POPULARIZED BY BAPTIST PREACHER
CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON IN AN 1855 SERMON
AND OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO MARK TWAIN

Advocacy Organizations

AutismOne: Parent-led group that believes most cases of autism are caused by vaccines

Autism Research Institute: Early advocacy group; founded by
Bernard Rimland in 1967

Autism Science Foundation: Founded in 2009 by Alison Singer and Karen London to fund and promote scientific research into autism

Autism Speaks: Largest autism charity in the United States; founded by former NBC Universal chariman Bob Wright and his wife, Suzanne, in 2005

Cure Autism Now: Founded in 1995 to fund research into autism; merged with Autism Speaks in 2006

Defeat Autism Now!: Offshoot of ARI founded in 1995 to promote the use of nonstandard treatments for autism

Generation Rescue: Also known as Jenny McCarthys Autism Organization; promotes the view that vaccines cause autism and other neurological disorders

National Alliance for Autism Research: Founded in 1994 to fund scientific research into autism; merged with Autism Speaks in 2005

National Vaccine Information Center: Founded in 1982 by
Barbara Loe Fisher and other parents who believe their
children suffered brain injuries caused by the DPT vaccine

SafeMinds: Founded in 2000 to fight against mercury-induced neurological disorders

Talk About Curing Autism: Founded in California in 2000; went national in 2007

Parents and Family Members

Lisa Ackerman: Executive director of Talk About Curing Autism; introduced Jenny McCarthy to the autism advocacy movement

Sallie Bernard: Mercury Mom; one of the leaders of SafeMinds; lead author of Autism: A Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning

Vicky Debold: Board member of the National Vaccine Information Center; director of SafeMinds

Barbara Loe Fisher: President of the National Vaccine Information Center

Jane Johnson: Co-managing director of the Thoughtful House Center for Children; director of the Autism Research Institute

Eric and Karen London: Co-founders of the National Alliance for Autism Research

Jenny McCarthy: Actress; believes vaccines caused her sons autism; promotes the use of gluten- and dairy-free diets

Lyn Redwood: Mercury Mom; one of the leaders of SafeMinds; collaborated with David Kirby on Evidence of Harm

Bernard Rimland: Father of the modern-day autism advocacy movement

Alison Singer: Former executive vice president of Autism Speaks; co-founder of the Autism Science Foundation

Bob and Suzanne Wright: Founders of Autism Speaks

Katie Wright: Daughter of Bob and Suzanne Wright

Doctors and Researchers

Mark Geier: Frequent expert witness in Vaccine Court lawsuits

Jay Gordon: Former pediatrician to Jenny McCarthys son, Evan

Neal Halsey: Director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University

Leo Kanner: Austrian psychiatrist; coined the term autism in a 1943 research paper

Arthur Krigsman: Pediatrician; former colleague of Andrew Wakefields; treated Michelle Cedillo

Paul Offit: Co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine; chief of the division of Infectious Diseases and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia

Bob Sears: California-based pediatrician; author of The Vaccine
Book

Andrew Wakefield: Lead author of a 1998 paper hypothesizing a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism

Journalists and Writers

Brian Deer: British investigative journalist; wrote a series of articles on Andrew Wakefield and his research into the MMR vaccine

Richard Horton: Editor of The Lancet

David Kirby: Author of Evidence of Harm; frequent contributor to The Huffington Post

Lea Thompson: Reporter on the 1982 television special Vaccine Roulette

The Omnibus Autism Proceeding

Michelle Cedillo: Autistic girl whose Vaccine Court claim was an Omnibus test case

Theresa and Michael Cedillo: Parents of Michelle Cedillo

Sylvia Chin-Caplan: Lawyer for the Cedillo family

George Hastings: Special Master who presided over the Cedillo trial

Other

Richard Barr: British personal injury lawyer; worked with Andrew Wakefield on lawsuits related to the MMR vaccine

Mary Leitao: Founder of the Morgellons Research Foundation

Lora Little: Early twentieth-century anti-vaccine activist

Lorraine Pace: Founder of the West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition

Governmental Agencies

ACIPAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices (U.S.)

CBERCenter for Biologics Evaluation and Research (U.S.)

CDCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

EISEpidemic Intelligence Service (U.S.)

EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency (U.S.)

GMCGeneral Medical Council (U.K.)

FDAFood and Drug Administration (U.S.)

HRSAHealth Resources and Services Administration (U.S.)

MRCMedical Research Council (U.K.)

NIHNational Institutes of Health (U.S.)

NIMHNational Institute of Mental Health (U.S.)

IOMInstitute of Medicine (U.S.)

SSIStatens Serum Institut (Denmark)

WHOWorld Health Organization

Medical Terms

ASDautism spectrum disorder

IBDinflammatory bowel disease

PDD-NOSpervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified