The conservative Christian website Canberra Declaration has published claims by discredited researchers that “cumulative childhood vaccination schedule is a modifiable risk factor for autism spectrum disorder.”
The story by Kurt Mahlburg, “Autism Linked to Childhood Vaccinations in 79% of Research: Landmark Meta-Study,” is based upon the work of doctors with a history of disputed claims about Covid and Autism.
The publisher of the study, the McCullough Foundation, is led by one of the authors, Dr Peter McCullough, a former cardiologist who had his certification revoked by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 2025 for his misinformation during Covid. This included advocacy for treating Covid with hydroxychloroquine (a malaria medicine) and ivermectin (a treatment for parasites). In a Jo Rogan appearance, McCullough claimed that the Covid epidemic was planned.
Andrew Wakefield, another author of the study, was struck off as a doctor in the UK for the fraudulent Lancet study that claimed a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism.
The Lancet formally retracted Wakefield’s 1998 paper in 2020.
Lead author Nicholas Hulscher has been cited for publishing unfounded conclusions about the effects of covid vaccines, for example, in extrapolating the excess risk of myocarditis attributable to vaccination in the population.
There is interesting developments in current research into Autism, in particular the conceptualisation of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a “cluster” rather than a single, uniform diagnosis. This is a move away from the idea DSM-5 that there is only one spectrum. This is presently a contested set of ideas.
Each cluster may respond to different treatments, and it may be that we are about to learn a great deal more about Autism.
Separating research into Autism from culture wars, which are in part a hangover from the Covid era, is not only sensible but a foundation for good commentary on this human condition.
God bless the “conservatives” for giving Christianity such a good name.
My mother was a nurse in the 1950-1960s prior to the vaccine era. She said that things like autism, spina bifida, cerebral palsy and down syndrome were hardly heard of until the beginning of the triple-antigen shot. The triple shot contained all three: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough). Prior to this babies were given these shots separately spaced months apart. With the triple antigen these three shots were given all at once. Critics state these shots can overwhelm the baby’s immune system and their undeveloped major organs, producing many serious adverse effects, including brain damage. Babies are given the triple antigen at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months of age. These products are significant bio-toxins. A baby’s liver and kidney take 1 to 2 years to reach full function and medicine still debates to what degree babies can be damaged by these immunisation products. The official position is that these childhood illnesses caused many deaths in the 1950s. Diphtheria was the major cause of childhood death prior to vaccinations. “Severe effects are rate” is listed in vaccine side effects for tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough for many government websites including Western Australia Dept of Health. If babies die or suffer brain damage or other serious effects, it ought to be mentioned. Governments see that the benefits outweigh the risks. My mother said that although distressing to watch a baby’s face going blue, as they went through whooping cough, it yet resolved. Current stats indicate that 1 in 125 unvaccinated babies die from whooping cough (less than 1% but that is serious if you are in the 1%) and that serious injury from the vaccine are rare – but if stated as rare it means serious injury does occur. It is this whooping cough vaccine, pertussis, which has been the most suspected of serious injury, a concern evident in the studies which continue to be done on the connection, but statistical cause and effect has been elusive. My mother’s view was that once triple antigen began, the incidence of these incurable serious conditions like autism and others mentioned was the new order. As a nurse who lived through the pre triple antigen / post triple antigen world, she said it was never again the same. Her final word was that “before the triple antigen you never saw these serious incurable baby illnesses.” This was her opinion based on her experience as a nurse.
Craig L Hall, I note your pre-nominal. Please shed some light on the use of same in the matter at hand. Is it relevant, or potentially misleading?
The triple antigen vaccine was first produced in Australia in 1953. So your mother was nursing prior to what?
Also, 1 in 125 babies die from whooping cough when the vaccine is routinely administered. Leading to the oft heard herd immunity phenomenon. Prior to the the introduction of pertussis vaccination in Australia, case fatality among infected infants was of the order of 1–5%, making pertussis a major contributor to early childhood mortality. So, other issues arose, but the case fatality figures dropped markedly.
Also, you seem to confuse the terms “pertussis” and “pertussis vaccine”. The first is the disease, the latter is what largely prevents it.
Craig L Hall, the triple antigen vaccine was first produced in Australia in 1953. So your mother was nursing prior to what?
Also, 1 in 125 babies die from whooping cough when the vaccine is routinely administered. Prior to the the introduction of pertussis vaccination in Australia, case fatality among infected infants was of the order of 1–5%, making pertussis a major contributor to early childhood mortality. So, other issues arose, but the case fatality figures dropped markedly.
Also, you seem to confuse the terms “pertussis” and “pertussis vaccine”. The first is the disease, the latter is what largely prevents it.