Autism An Epidemic out of control

There are growing health problems being faced by many
Americans. Autism has doubled in California over the last
5 years and special educational needs of school children
are soaring. Severe childhood behavioral problems
necessitating residential care are financially forcing
many parents to relinquish custody of their children to
the State. In a year 2001 sampling of only 19 mid-sized
States, the astounding number of voluntary State-orphaned
children was 12,700. This heart rendering loss of custody
does not even ensure therapy for the children, merely
protective restraint. Nearly half of our elderly will
experience the memory loss and emotional fragility of
Alzheimer's disease. Published figures from the CDC
confirm that nearly 20,000 patients are hospitalized each
year with a diagnosis of encephalitis. Yet in the majority
of these patients, no cause of the illness can be found.
Many more individuals experience an alarming decline in
brain function that can lead to such tragedies as suicide
or mindless criminal behaviors. Many of us have friends
with chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, arthritis and/or
debilitating mental illnesses.

Individually, any of these increasingly prevalent
diseases ought to trigger a serious investigation for the
possibility of an infectious cause. When lumped together
the prospect that our Nation is in the midst of an
infectious epidemic that can manifest itself as various
clinical syndromes is indeed alarming.

We would like to bring to your attention published
reports of simian (monkey) cytomegalovirus DNA
contamination of licensed polio vaccines. The studies were
conducted by the United States Food and Drug
Administration and the United Kingdom National Institute
for Biological Standards and Control. Although the
Government researchers were unable to culture viruses from
the contaminated polio vaccine lots, they have refused to
provide the lots for independent testing. The reason cited
is proprietary protection of the vaccine manufacturer. The
Government studies were prompted by the reported isolation
of viruses related to simian cytomegalovirus from patients
by an independent investigator Dr. W. John Martin, M.D.,
Ph.D.

We, hereby, petition that the Congress of the United
States conduct an immediate review of the evidence for
human illnesses resulting from the use of simian
cytomegalovirus contaminated polio vaccines. Furthermore,
we request that samples of licensed contaminated polio
vaccines by made available to Dr. Martin and other
independent researchers for specialized virus culturing.
We further request that the Federal and State Public
Health Laboratories be provided the resources to conduct
specialized virus cultures in patients with unexplained
brain damaging illnesses, including autism. Additional
information is available at www.s3support.com and
www.rhinoed.com