Dan Burton: “Mr. Speaker, vaccinations have been a real plus for this country. We had a lot of diseases that used to be so feared…”

“Mr. Speaker, vaccinations have been a real plus for this country. We had a lot of diseases that used to be so feared, like polio and diptheria that we do not have to worry about anymore, and it is because we have vaccinations that really help protect our young people. But along with the positives, unfortunately there are some negatives, and parents across this country ought to be aware of the negatives as well as the positives. That is why my committee has been holding a number of hearings and has had the health agencies of this country before the committee numerous times. We have had what is called an explosion of autism in America. Autism, that is a disease most people are not familiar with unless it has hit their family, and that is where one day your child is apparently normal or appears to be normal, and the next day he is running around flapping his arms, cannot speak clearly anymore, bangs his head against the wall, has severe bowel disorders and other related things. We have had an explosion, an absolute explosion. Twenty years ago, 1 in 10,000 children in America were considered autistic. Today it is 1 in 500. In some parts of the country, it is as many as 1 in 150. Now think about that; 1 in 150 children in some parts of this country is autistic. We need to find out why.”