HOME: THE JOHN LAVERTY, JR. CASE-- FALSE SBS CHARGES, WRONGFUL CONVICTION & IMPRISONMENT

THE "SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME" MYTH: Why top scientists say it isn't possible to shake an infant hard enough to cause the symptoms used to diagnose SBS and the probable real causes

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/encephalitis.html

Encephalitis literally means an inflammation of the brain. In most cases, this inflammation is caused by a virus.
Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms in milder cases of encephalitis usually include:
•fever
•headache
•poor appetite
•loss of energy
•a general sick feeling

In more severe cases of encephalitis, a person is more likely to experience high fever and any of a number of symptoms that relate to the central nervous system, including:
•severe headache
•nausea and vomiting
•stiff neck
•confusion
•disorientation
•personality changes
•convulsions (seizures)
•problems with speech or hearing
•hallucinations
•memory loss
•drowsiness
•coma

It's harder to detect some of these symptoms in infants, but important signs to look for include:
•vomiting
•a full or bulging soft spot (fontanel)
•crying that doesn't stop or that seems worse when an infant is picked up or handled
•body stiffness

Because encephalitis can follow or accompany common viral illnesses, there sometimes are signs and symptoms of these illnesses beforehand. But often, the encephalitis appears without warning.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/encephalitis/basics/symptoms/con-20021917

Signs and symptoms in infants and young children may also include:

•Bulging in the soft spots (fontanels) of the skull in infants
•Nausea and vomiting
•Body stiffness
•Inconsolable crying
•Poor feeding or not waking for a feeding
•Irritability

When to see a doctor

Get immediate care if you or someone you know is experiencing any of the symptoms associated with more-severe cases of encephalitis. Severe headache, fever and altered consciousness require urgent care.

Infants and young children with any signs or symptoms of encephalitis should receive urgent care.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168997.php

When there is direct viral infection of the brain or spinal cord it is called primary encephalitis. Secondary encephalitis refers to an infection which started off elsewhere in the body and then spread to the brain.

Signs and symptoms in infants (small babies) - encephalitis is harder to initially detect in infants. Parents or guardians should look out for vomiting, a bulging fontanel (soft area on the top center of the head), incessant crying that does not get better when the baby is picked up and comforted, and body stiffness.
What are the causes of encephalitis?
Encephalitis can develop as a result of a direct infection to the brain by a virus, bacterium or fungus (infectious encephalitis, or primary encephalitis), or when the immune system responds to a previous infection; the immune system mistakenly attacks brain tissue (secondary encephalitis, or post-infectious encephalitis).

Primary (infectious) encephalitis: according to the NHS (UK), there are three main categories of viruses: 1. Common viruses, such as HSV (herpes simplex virus) or EBV (Epstein Barr virus). 2. Childhood viruses, such as measles and mumps. 3. Arboviruses, which are spread by mosquitoes, ticks and other insects, and include Japanese encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis and tick borne encephalitis.

Secondary (post-infectious) encephalitis: could be caused by a complication of a viral infection. Symptoms start to appear days and even weeks after the initial infection. The patient's immune system treats healthy brain cells as foreign organisms that need to be destroyed, and attacks them. We don't know why the immune system goes wrong and does this.

Encephalitis is more likely to affect children, elderly people, individuals with weakened immune systems, and people who live in areas where mosquitoes and ticks that spread specific viruses are common.

http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P02600

How is encephalitis diagnosed?

The diagnosis of encephalitis is made after the sudden or gradual onset of specific symptoms and after diagnostic testing. During the examination, your child's doctor obtains a complete medical history of your child, including his or her immunization history. Your child's doctor may also ask if your child has recently had a cold or other respiratory illness, or a gastrointestinal illness, and if the child has recently had a tick bite, has been around pets or other animals, or has traveled to certain areas of the country.

Diagnostic tests that may be done to confirm the diagnosis of encephalitis may include the following:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of the brain, spinal cord, and other body structures and organs..

Computed tomography scan (also called a CT or CAT scan). A diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a combination of X-rays and computer technology to produce horizontal, or axial, images (often called slices) of the body. A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat, and organs. CT scans are more detailed than general X-rays.

Blood tests. These may include an assay for the NMDA receptor antibody and other antibodies.

Urine and stool tests.

Sputum culture. A diagnostic test performed on the material that is coughed up from the lungs and into the mouth.

Electroencephalogram (EEG). A procedure that records the brain's continuous, electrical activity by means of electrodes attached to the scalp.

Lumbar puncture (spinal tap). A special needle is placed into the lower back below the level where the spinal cord has come to an end. The pressure in the spinal canal and brain can then be measured. A small amount of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) can be removed and sent for testing to determine if there is an infection or other problems. CSF is the fluid that bathes your child's brain and spinal cord.

Brain biopsy. In rare cases, a biopsy of affected brain tissue may be removed for diagnosis.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.2478%2Fs13380-014-0206-x

Translational Neuroscience
March 2014, Volume 5, Issue 1, pp 57-63
Date: 28 Mar 2014

Pertussis vaccine-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice

Aleksandra Stojkovic,
Irina Maslovaric,
Dejana Kosanovic,
Dušan Vucetic

Abstract

Background

A small dose of the Bordetella pertussis vaccine is used as an adjuvant for the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice. The effects of two doses of the Pertussis vaccine on clinical signs, antibody titers, and the expression of CD4 and MHC molecules in brain tissue sections of mice with EAE were examined.

Methodology

EAE was induced by spinal cord homogenate in Complete Freund adjuvant (CFA) in 30 of 40 C57BL/6 mice divided in groups: EAE mice with a small adjuvant dose of the Pertussis vaccine (EAE-1), EAE mice with a human dose of the Pertussis vaccine (EAE-2), EAE mice (EAE-3).

Results

None of the mice from the EAE groups progressed to severe EAE. Five mice from the EAE-2 group were found dead on the 13th day post-immunization. A significant increase of anti-MOG (myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein) antibodies was detected in mice with EAE compared to non-treated mice. Myelin loss and brain tissue lesions were observed in EAE-1 and EAE-2 mice compared to EAE-3 and non-treated mice. A high expression of MHC-II and a mild expression of MHC-I was detected in the brains of mice with EAE. No expressions were detected in intact brains. Scattered CD4-positive cells were detected in the brains of EAE-1 and EAE-2 mice compared to EAE-3 and non-treated mice.

Conclusion

A small dose of the Bordetella pertussis vaccine could maintain the developed clinical signs and histological changes in mice with EAE, while higher doses led to additional adverse effects. The expression of CD4 and MHC class I and II molecules, as well as an increase in anti-MOG antibodies could be used as markers capable of monitoring the development and progression of EAE.

http://www.aapsonline.org/jpands/hacienda/buttram.html

Article Excerpt ...follow link to full article online

Shaken Baby Syndrome or Vaccine-Induced Encephalitis?

Harold E. Buttram, MD

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) commonly describes a combination of subdural hematoma, retinal hemorrhage, and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) as the triad of diagnostic criteria. In some, the presence of rib or other fractures is also taken as a sign of abuse.(1-3)

The basic issue to be reviewed here is whether or not in some instances in which a father, family member, or caretaker has been accused of causing the death of an infant or child from the SBS, the true cause of death was a catastrophic vaccine reaction.

This article concerns an unpublished series of 25 cases involving accusations or convictions for the SBS, largely collected by attorney and jury counselor Toni Blake of San Diego, California (personal communication, 2000), as well as some from personal knowledge, which have the following features: 1) All occurred in fragile infants born from complicated pregnancies. Problems included prematurity, low birth weights, drug/alcohol problems, diabetic mothers, or other maternal complications. 2) All infants were 6 months or less of age. 3) Onset of signs and symptoms occurred at about 2, 4, or 6 months of age, within 12 days of vaccines. 4) All infants had subdural hematomas. 5) Some had multiple fractures.

Few published studies on vaccine effects include before-and-after studies of immune parameters or brain function studies such as electroencephalograms, or long-term safety monitoring. Inadequate consideration has been given to the additive or synergistic adverse effects of multiple simultaneous vaccines, although in the case of toxic chemicals, two compounds together may be 10 times more toxic than either separately, or 3 compounds 100 times more toxic.(4,5)