Mixed messages

Top federal health authorities Thursday reiterated that vaccines do not cause autism after government health officials acknowledged that a vaccine, by worsening an underlying genetic condition, may have triggered autismlike symptoms in one girl. The case is viewed as an important milestone by autism groups that maintain that vaccinations are connected to autism.

ABC News, 7 March 2008

This was a very important Government decision, the federal government conceding that vaccines may have triggered brain deterioration with symptoms like autism in the case of one young girl. Although this wasn't headline news in most papers this was a tremendously important decision. If want to see the nitty gritty of the legal documents then there's a column at The Huffington Post entitled 'The Vaccine-Autism Court Document Every American Should Read'.

New Scientist magazine has an editorial about the decision that reflects the surprise most scientists felt about this decision. Scroll down the page though to read a fascinating discussion between a number of well informed and passionate readers, on both sides of the debate.