The settlement in a federal case involving childhood vaccines has been disclosed, sparking debate about a possible link between vaccines and autism. Last year, the parents of a nine-year-old girl diagnosed with autism reached a settlement with the government in a federal compensation court for people injured by vaccines. The government conceded that Hanna Poling may have been harmed by the routine vaccines she received, because she had an underlying condition that was aggravated by the vaccines. Testing showed that the girl had a disorder in her mitochondria, which provide energy for the cells. The government has stated that the settlement is not an admission that vaccines cause autism, but many advocates of autistic children are calling the settlement a victory for their cause, a long-held belief that vaccines cause autism in children. The girl’s vaccines, which she received in 2000, contained thimerosal, a vaccine preservative containing mercury. A number of organizations have dismissed the claim that thimerosal causes autism, including the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics, and it was removed from all routine childhood vaccines in 2001, even as autism rates continue to increase.

For more information on the settlement, read an interview with the girl’s father, a neurologist, who said that vaccines are safe for the majority of people, and that he is not “anti-vaccine.” Also look at WebMD’s Autism Heath Center for more information on autism, and the New York Times’s report on the settlement.