The parents of 9 year-old Hannah Poling spoke to the media this week about the US government's landmark decision to pay compensation following their claim that childhood vaccines caused their daughter's autism. The government's sealed decision, made last November, was recently made public on an autism advocacy group website.

The payout, the extent of which is yet to be decided, comes from a federal fund that compensates victims of vaccine-related injuries. The ruling effectively states that Hannah's pre-existing rare mitochondrial disorder had disposed her to autism and this was "significantly aggravated" by the vaccines she received as a toddler eight years ago.

Hannah's father, neurologist Dr Jon Poling who practised in Athens, Georgia, told the press on Thursday that he and his wife, Terry, a registered nurse and former trial attorney, were " very pleased" with the decision, reported CNN.

Poling said he and his wife had endured "eight difficult and heartbreaking years since our daughter's injury".

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