Minneapolis

There's an interesting story from the New York Times here, about the unusual and alarming rates of more severe forms of autism among the children of the community of Somali immigrants in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (As if on cue, anti-vaccine activists have seized this opportunity to encourage suspicion and mistrust, though there is no more conclusive indication of vaccination as a cause in this instance than there has been on any other occasion. Sadly, these tactics appear to be succeeding, and many in the community are now resisting or delaying vaccinations, which could have terrible consequences in the long term — the article points out that families often return to Somalia, where measles remains a significant threat.)

I don't wish to seem unsympathetic, or even callous (remember, my own child has been diagnosed as autistic), but what I find especially interesting, even hopeful about this is that the opportunity to study this small community might yield some useful information in the long term. Perhaps not the discovery of a cause, but several steps closer to understanding.