The controversy began when leaked court documents suggested that the U.S. Court of Federal Claims had ruled that when triggered by a vaccination, defects of the mitochondria ― the ‘power plants’ of every cell that turn food into energy ― could cause autism.
In November 2007, the court heard a case alleging that routine vaccinations caused severe neurological damage to a 9-year-old girl named Hannah Poling. Poling’s doctors testified that the five vaccinations she received at age 19 months aggravated a preexisting ‘mitochondrial respiratory chain disorder’ and led to degenerative brain disease with “features consistent with autistic spectrum disorder.” For these injuries, the court ruled that the Polings are entitled to government compensation.
For most autism researchers, the mention of a link to mitochondria came as a complete surprise. “We’re all wondering where the science is to back this up,” says pediatrician and vaccine expert Paul Offit.
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