PEDIATRICS Vol. 115 No. 1 January 2005, pp. 200 (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2004-2402)
Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review of Published Original Data
Sarah Parker, MDJames Todd, MD
Department of Pediatrics,
Children's Hospital and University of Colorado Health Sciences Center,
Denver, CO 80218
Benjamin Schwartz, MD
Larry Pickering, MD
National Immunization Program,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Atlanta, GA 30333
To the Editor.
In our article "Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review of Published Original Data,"1 we indicated that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Biological Surveillance Summaries with manufacturer-specific data would not have been available to Dr Geier to analyze children potentially exposed to thimerosal in the diphtheria-tetanus- acellular pertussis vaccine. Dr Geier has informed us that he had received these data; we regret this error.
More than half of pediatric vaccines used in the United States are purchased by the public sector. Since 1962, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collected brand-specific information on annual vaccine doses distributed by manufacturers for planning purposes. At the manufacturers' request, these data are kept confidential because they consider this information to be proprietary. Our statement was based on this policy. We were not aware that these data had been released before publication of our article.
REFERENCE
- Parker SK, Schwartz B, Todd J, Pickering LK. Thimerosal-containing vaccines and autistic spectrum disorder: a critical review of published original data.
Pediatrics. 2004;114
:793
804
[Abstract/Free Full Text]
PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2005 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
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