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Thousands of American children are putting on homeopathic alternatives to vaccination by practitioners who claim that they can prevent measles and "cure" autism, the Guardian has learned.
In the United States, at least 200 homeopaths practice a controversial "therapy," called Cease, which incorrectly claims that she has the power to treat and even cure autism. The acronym means "complete elimination of autism spectrum expression".
The "therapy" is based in part on the administration of high doses of vitamin C. The lawyers wrongly say that it repairs the damage caused by the vaccination – double truth, most vaccines being safe and there is no link between vaccines and autism, a condition for which there is no cure.
In addition, 250 homeopaths, some of whom also practice Cease, promote "homeoprophylaxis" which presents itself as an "immunological education program". More than 2,000 American children have participated in the program, which claims to enhance natural immunity against infectious diseases, although there is no scientific proof of its effectiveness.
Parents who choose to follow Cease or homeoprophylaxis potentially expose their children, as well as their loved ones, to a life-threatening illness. The implicit message behind both treatments is that vaccines are harmful and should be avoided.
The spread of such ideas, amplified by the proliferation of anti-vaxxer theories on social media, has begun to have a profound impact on public health in the United States. Last month, the number of measles cases peaked at 25 years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,001 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in more than 20 states this year alone.
Scientists and public health experts warn that the outbreak of measles is clearly linked to the proliferation of "hesitation about the vaccine" – the parents' refusal to vaccinate their children, which recently ranked by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 global threats. health.
More than 100 hot spots in which a large number of children are no longer vaccinated have been identified across the country. Of these, 15 are located in urban areas. Seven of the 15 had a measles outbreak in 2019.
"These measles outbreaks were both predictable and predictable as the anti-vaccine movement began to affect public health in this country," said Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "It's only the beginning – it's a harbinger of a new normal in America."
Hotez, who has an autistic girl and who has written a book refuting the false link between vaccines and autism, said about the claims conveyed by homeoprophylaxis and Cease: "There is no reason for this. alternative to vaccination against measles and there is no cure for autism – so everything is done. "
Kate Birch, a Minnesota-based homeopath, said she had imported homeoprophylaxis to the United States in 2008 after learning about it in Cuba. She has trained 250 practitioners for reflection, and she is still supervising 80 people.
She added that nearly 2,000 American children were now under their direction.
Birch's organization, Free and Healthy Children, is a 501 (c) 3 public education charity that allows it to operate without federal tax. On his website, he clearly states his anti-vaccine ideology by proclaiming that its members "are worried about the alarming impact of immune system disturbances and developmental delays affecting so many people." children as a result of current vaccination programs ".
An associated website run by Birch, without a vaccine, says that "homeopathic remedies can be used as a preventive measure against measles."
In an interview with The Guardian, Birch said that homeoprophylaxis reinforces children's immunity against infectious diseases through the use of "nosodes," homeopathic remedies made from "pathological tissue ". They are taken orally in diluted form.
She claimed that nosodes were regulated in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In fact, the FDA can take and take action against specific homeopathic manufacturers to put patients at risk, but it does not endorse homeopathic products.
The Guardian told Birch that the anti-vaccination message of homeoprophylaxis and Cease contributed to a public health crisis resulting in the spread of measles. She said her work was aimed at "improving public health by strengthening children's immune systems against infectious diseases".
She added that in her opinion, exposing children to an infectious disease by leaving them unvaccinated was a good thing. "We need infectious diseases," she said. "The best immunity against infectious diseases in children is natural exposure to lifelong immunity".
The last time the American public relied on "natural exposure" to measles – that is, before the launch of the US measles vaccination program in 1963 -, the disease has caused untold human suffering. Up to 4 million Americans have contracted each year, of which nearly 50,000 have been hospitalized and 500 have died each year.
The Guardian has asked the FDA to state its current position on the ceasefire and homeoprophylaxis. The agency did not comment on the two programs in particular, but said in a statement that "the FDA has warned against the use of products labeled as homeopathic because of concerns that it has not been demonstrated that they offered clinical benefits in the treatment of severe cases and / or life-course. – threatening medical conditions and that they can also cause serious damage. "
The FDA added, "We are deeply concerned when we see preventable diseases, such as measles – a life-threatening infection that we thought was eliminated in the United States in 2000 – that are now making a tragic comeback and threatening our communities, despite the availability of the vaccine is safe and very effective. A contributing factor to the measles outbreak is inaccurate and misleading information about vaccines rather than trust in accurate and scientific information. "
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