[I]nternationally known skeptics of vaccinations are preparing to give a presentation at Stowe High School, and the plan has caused the local school district to reconsider its open-door policy for public events.
Andrew Wakefield is one of the main speakers. He lost his credentials to practice medicine in the United Kingdom for a study that experts have called “an elaborate fraud” linking vaccines with autism.
The May 20 event is called “Hope and Healing for Autism and Neurological Disorders” and will take place in the high school auditorium, which holds about 500 people.
The Stowe School Board does not endorse the event; two of the charities that organizers say will receive profits from ticket sales have not endorsed the event; and the Vermont Department of Health has raised concerns about the spread of misinformation.
Dr. Bradley Rauch, a chiropractor in Stowe, said he is holding the event because he thinks the prevalence of autism is increasing. “I believe that there are many causes for autism and vaccines are part of the discussion,” he said.
“I know that the people that are detractors keep bringing up the whole vaccine issue and autism,” he said. “This is not a conference that’s focusing on vaccines and autism. This is a conference that’s focused on living a healthy lifestyle.”
“I felt compelled to open up the discussion because of the concern I have for the health of our children,” Rauch said. He also said there has been an increase in kids with nut allergies, food allergies and chronic illnesses.
The event page describes the event this way: “six inspiring world-class speakers will present their views on causes of, and solutions to, the dramatic rise in autism, neurobehavioral disorders, autoimmune diseases and associated chronic conditions.”
In addition to Wakefield, who directed the movie “Vaxxed,” the five other speakers are Del Bigtree, the producer of “Vaxxed”; Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, who runs a blog called Exposing the Truth About Vaccines; Dr. Jack Wolfson, a nationally known opponent of vaccines; Dr. Sukhi Muker, a chiropractor; and Jeff Hays, the producer of “Bought: The Hidden Story Behind Vaccines, Big Pharma, and Your Food.”
Wakefield is internationally known for writing the 1998 paper alleging that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is linked to autism. The editor in chief of the British Medical Journal declared in 2012 that the paper by Wakefield and 12 co-authors was a “deliberate fraud” with falsified data that has caused a “damaging vaccine scare.”
The journal that published the original paper, The Lancet, later retracted it.
Parents and public health officials say they worry that Wakefield will spread misinformation about vaccines. Such misinformation has already been blamed for causing a measles outbreak in Minnesota, according to National Public Radio.
“We’re very strongly opposed” to the event, said Tom Rogers, a Stowe resident who has two toddlers. “The measles outbreak that’s going on in Minnesota clearly demonstrates when these speakers come and espouse essentially lies and misinformation to the community.”
“If this were not taking place at our public school, it might be a different story,” Rogers said. “If this were just a discussion on vaccines or autism that had a variety of viewpoints … people would be very supportive of that.”
Additionally, Rogers said the speakers tend to have followers who bring “fanaticism” to the issue of vaccine choice. He pointed to a doctor in Philadelphia who endured death threats and other harassment, according to ABC News.
“In a way it’s kind of like very similar to standing up to people who oppose the science behind climate change,” Rogers said. “The level of bogus misinformation that these people are putting out there is scary, and as Minnesota has shown, quite possibly harmful.”
Christine Finley, the immunization program manager for the Vermont Department of Health, said there is no link between vaccines and autism, or between vaccines and neurological diseases. Nor do children’s vaccines contain mercury.
Finley said holding the event is not a good idea because young parents “have enough of a challenge trying to address all of the needs of their children and to work with their health care providers to protect them.”
“Anyone can come (to Vermont), but I’m concerned about the spread of misinformation leading to an increase in measles and other preventable diseases,” Finley said. “We’re seeing the impact in Minnesota when Andrew Wakefield’s been there. I don’t want to see measles in Vermont, or any other vaccine-preventable disease.”
The head of the supervisory union distanced school officials from the event.
“For any public use of school facilities, we do not endorse, sponsor or otherwise promote the views of the group or the individual using school facilities,” said Tracy Wrend, the superintendent of Lamoille South Supervisory Union.
Wrend said the school has asked the organizers to relocate the event, but they declined. She said the organizers did agree to include a disclaimer saying the school doesn’t endorse the views, and agreed to present other views on vaccinations as part of their event.
Rauch described the high school as a logical site for the presentation. “I said that our intent was to help inform and just disseminate information to as many people as possible, and the high school was the largest venue available, so at that point I wasn’t willing to move it,” Rauch said.
Cara Zimmerman, the chair of the Stowe School Board, said the board is taking community input on whether to change the policy that allows any member of the public to hold an event in the high school auditorium.
She said the concerns the board has been hearing are mostly about safety. And “we did hear from some people who feel strongly about having all children vaccinated, and so there is some concern about hosting such an event,” Zimmerman said.
Others support the event, Zimmerman said.
Jennifer Stella is the executive director of the Vermont Coalition for Vaccine Choice, which is co-sponsoring the event. She said the presentation will mention vaccines, because they are a major part of any discussion about children’s wellness, but there will be a broader focus.
“The real basis of this conference is to talk mainly about how to achieve your greatest human potential and how to raise healthy children and stay healthy,” Stella said. “That will include things like strengthening your immune system.”
She said event participants will want to hear from Wakefield about the latest research on gastrointestinal health. She said a lot of behavioral symptoms of autism can be reduced by understanding “gut health.”
Stella said the event will also help people learn how to improve their nervous system and how to “detox.”
Finley said there is no scientific evidence that thimerosal — a mercury-based preservative that vaccine skeptics often link to toxicity in the body — is harmful to children. Nonetheless, she said thimerosal is not in any of the routinely recommended vaccines that are given to children anymore.
While small quantities of thimerosal are still used in some flu vaccine preparations to prevent contamination, the Vermont Immunization Program is no longer purchasing any flu vaccine with thimerosal, according to the health department.
Finley said parents should get their children immunized through their pediatrician or family doctor. If a child does not have insurance or a doctor, parents can call the local district health office at the Vermont Department of Health to get their children vaccinated for free, she said.
The event page says profits will go to the Vermont Coalition for Vaccine Choice, which opposed Vermont’s 2015 law eliminating the philosophical exemption from mandatory vaccinations, and the World Mercury Project, started by vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The page also says profits will go to the Vermont Foodbank and the Christian homeless shelter ANEW Place in Burlington. But both groups said Tuesday they don’t endorse the event.
“Nobody here was aware of the event or the fact that they are stating that there’ll be some donation to the Vermont Foodbank,” said John Sayles, the chief executive officer of the Vermont Foodbank.
“People have third-party events and bill them as benefits for the Vermont Foodbank all the time that we don’t have any knowledge of,” Sayles said. “And certainly we don’t ask people their political, medical, scientific views when they give us a donation, but the Foodbank is not associated with this event anyway.”
Kevin Pounds, the executive director of ANEW, said the organization is not familiar with the group putting on the event or any plan to donate the proceeds.
“They haven’t reached out to us; I can tell you that much,” Pound said. “Nobody on our staff has had any kind of contact with anybody who’s connected to that organization or running that event.”
Rauch said members of the public will be able to buy tickets at the door May 20.
