Emily Sosa English 2010 Asplund 8 July 2013 Report: Is There a Link Between Childhood Immunizations and Autism?

Vaccinations against life-threatening diseases are one of the greatest public health achievements in history. But now anti-vaccination opinions are on the rise, due in large part to the controversial and hotly disputed link between immunizations and autism. Parents should continue to get their children immunized, because it protects them and others from getting dangerous yet preventable diseases, there are requirements for children to have them when entering public schools or day care facilities and there is no evidence that proves vaccines cause autism. Autism spectrum disorder and autism are general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors (Autism Speaks). The very thought of your child having this disorder can be frightening, but getting your infant immunized is one of the first and most important decisions you will have to make for them. In 1998 a British doctor named Andrew Wakefield published a study in a popular British medical journal that promoted the idea that the MMR (measles mumps and rubella) vaccine causes autism. Ultimately, MMR uptake rates plummeted and the measles vanquished in the U.K. in the 1990s, came roaring back to endemic levels within a decade according the Health Protection Agency, the public health body of England. Wakefields work has since been retracted and disclaimed stated Dr. Cynthia McMillan in an article reporting on the issue on the everydayheatlth website. Along with the MMR vaccine being a supposed culprit, there was

also hypotheses proposed that thimerosal, an ethylmercury-containing preservative in some vaccines, is toxic to the central nervous system and that the simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines overwhelms or weakens the immune system, reiterated by infectious disease experts Drs. Jeffery Gerber and Paul Offit of the Oxford Journals. Time and time again, in many studies all over the world, the theory has been proven untrue states Diana Rodriguez of everydayhealth.

Studies that fail to support an association between measlesmumps-rubella vaccine and autism. Studies that fail to support and association between thimerosal in vaccines and autism.

A study published in the Journal of the American Association in July 1999 found that during a measles outbreak, unvaccinated people were 35 times more likely to get measles than vaccinated people. Basically, getting immunized introduces the body to a harmless dose of the infection and your body produces the antibodies to fight off the infection. Once the antibodies are produced, they will remain in your body to help prevent you from getting the infection. Will people who have been vaccinated still get sick with a disease for which they got the vaccine? Yes, but that doesnt mean vaccines dont work. It just means theyre not perfect. No vaccine guarantees immunity to everyone who gets it, for reasons that we medical professionals dont entirely understand. But vaccination still offers the best chance of protection from infectious disease claimed by Dr. Paul Offit in the book Your Babys Best Shot. Imagine that measles strikes a school of 1,000 students. Of the 995 who have been vaccinated, ten become infected, while all five of the unvaccinated children in the school get

sick. So although more vaccinated students got measles, the chances of coming down with the disease were much lower for the people who got the vaccine than for the people who didnt. In the setting of schools, protecting our children from preventable diseases is extremely important. It is law in all U.S. states that children be properly immunized before attending school (Institute for Vaccine Safety). However in addition to medical exemptions offered in each state, 48 states allow for religious exemptions and 18 states allow personal belief exemptions for daycare and school. Unfortunately, increasing numbers of parents are refusing immunizations for their children and seeking exemptions instead, apparently fearing vaccines more than the underlying diseases that they protect against. There are two, very different, types of mercury which people should know about: methylmercury and ethylmercury. Methylmercury occurs in the environment and makes its way through the food chain in fish, animals, and humans. At high levels, it can be toxic to people (CDC). Thimerosal contains a different kind of mercury called ethylmercury. According to the CDC, this form is processed differently in the human body. It is broken down and excreted rapidly. Thimerosal has been used as preservative in various medicines and vaccines. It is added to prevent bacteria growth in the event they get into the vaccine. Research does not show any link between thimerosal in vaccines and autism. Although thimerosal was taken out of childhood vaccines by 2001, autism rates have gone up, which is the opposite of what would be expected if thimerosal caused autism (McMillan).

A worldwide increase in the rate of autism still fuels concerns that exposure to vaccines might cause it. Statistics from the U.S. CDC identify around 1 in 88 American children as on the autism spectrum-a-ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years. Also, boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism. Careful research shows that this increase is only partly explained by improved diagnosis and awareness (Autism Speaks). A growing body of research suggests that a woman can reduce her risk of having a child with autism by taking prenatal vitamins containing folic acid and or eating a diet rich in folic acid (at least 600 mcg a day) during the months before and after conception according to the Autism Speaks website. While it still could be possible to find the occasional study showing evidence that a link between childhood vaccines and autism could be possible, the bulk of the scientific research does not support this view. Majority of experts say that the theory just isnt backed up with good scientific evidence (Rodriguez). The undeniable fact is that no one know what causes autism. The bottom line: If parents are concerned about vaccines and autism, its important to examine the research, find a pediatrician with whom they feel comfortable discussing these issues, and make their own decisions regarding the health and safety of their children.

Works Cited "CDC - Concerns About Autism - Vaccine Safety." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2013. "HPA - Health Protection Agency Homepage - Protecting people, Preventing harm, Preparing for threats." HPA - Health Protection Agency Homepage - Protecting people, Preventing harm, Preparing for threats. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2013. Herlihy, Stacy Mintzer, and E. Allison Hagood. Your baby's best shot: why vaccines are safe and save lives. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2012. Print. Offit, Paul, and Jeffrey Gerber. "Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses." Oxford Journals | Medicine | Clinical Infectious Diseases. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2013. Rodriguez, Diana, and Cynthia McMillan. "Do Vaccines Cause Autism? - Autism Center Everyday Health." Health Information, Resources, Tools & News Online EverydayHealth.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2013. "Welcome to the Website for the Institute for Vaccine Safety." Welcome to the Website for the Institute for Vaccine Safety. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2013. "What Is Autism? | Autism Speaks." Home | Autism Speaks. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 July 2013.