Addressing Immunization Barriers, Benefits And Risks

Autism is not an immune-mediated disease. There is no evidence of immune activation or inflammatory lesions in people with autism. No studies have compared the incidence of autism in vaccinated, unvaccinated, or alternatively vaccinated children. Twenty epidemiologic studies have shown that neither thimerosal or MMR vaccine causes autism. There have been studies in many countries by different people who have tried multiple statistical methods. A meta-analysis of ten studies involving more than 1.2 million children reaffirms that vaccines don’t cause autism. Immunization was associated with decreased risk that children would develop autism, a possibility that’s strongest with the measles-mumps-rubella

In the article, “Vaccines Cause Autism,” Michael Snyder, an attorney and writer, attempts to convince parents of young children that autism is directly linked to childhood vaccinations. He claims that numerous toxins, including thimerosal, are present in vaccines that are forced into the bloodstream, later causing neurological and brain damage to children. He says that autism has risen by 78 percent over the past decade, and that 1/88 children in the US have an autistic disorder. Snyder believes that most autistic individuals start out completely normal, and that the vaccinations they are given are harming them. He blames the pharmaceutical companies for being too

These components can cause autism on their own or possibly when combined with exposure to environmental factors that have not yet been classified. A small number of cases can be linked to genetic disorders such as Fragile X, Tuberous Sclerosis, and Angelman’s Syndrome. In an article on Health &Wellness- Tree.com many families link vaccines with autism and this has been an intense debate for almost a decade. On one side are the families of autistic children, many of whom are convinced that the link between autism and vaccines is real. On the other side researchers who have conducted numerous medical studies, some involving thousands of children, have found NO evidence linked to autism and vaccines. There are suggestions that the reason several parents blame immunizations is that it is the one common factor among children corresponds with the age in which the children receive their immunization for Measles Mumps and Rubella. (Health &Wellness 1) “The autism linked to vaccine side of the argument does have a smoking gun to point to: thimerosal. Thimerosal was an ingredient in childhood vaccines until 1999, when pharmaceutical companies bowed to public pressure

In a CNN article published just last winter, statistics regarding autism gave advocate groups against vaccines something to think about. As Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent, states in the article, “They [researchers] reasoned that if mercury exposure in vaccines was a major cause of autism, the number of affected kids should have dropped after thimerosal was removed.” However, after manufacturers halted the major use of thimerosal in vaccines in 1999, the researchers’ theory did not prove to be correct. In fact, from 2004 to 2007, the rate of autism in California raised from 3 per 1,000 children to 4 per 1,000 children. Doesn’t this show skeptic Americans anything? If we actually continued to be cynical about the situation and stopped using thimerosal as a preservative, what would make our vaccines safe to use? Hope?

The topic of the article is the connection (or lack of) between childhood vaccines (MMR) and autism. Contrary to popular opinion, vaccines are not linked to autism in any shape or form and there is no scientific evidence to support it.

Controversy concerning the risks of vaccinations will always exist. As is the nature of a preventative intervention, it is difficult to rationalize giving a completely healthy child an injection that is known to have varying degrees of sides affects5. Additionally, these injections are to provide immunity to children for diseases that have an extremely low risk of circulating within a population. Since these vaccines have been able to protect so many individuals from experiencing these dangerous infections, most parents do not even have personal experiences regarding the impact of these diseases. As such, many parents do not see the vaccine-preventable disease as a threat to their child. This often causes parents to not fully understand the risk their child has for contracting a disease and the subsequent danger of a vaccine-preventable disease infection verses the potential side effect of a vaccine which is normally only mild to moderate discomfort for their child15.

Countless deem that the definite reason for autism is not the dead or live virus found in vaccines but the derivatives’ within them. “Exposure to thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative that is used in vaccines and immunoglobulin preparations, has been hypothesized to be associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)” (Price, et al., 2010). This continues to remain merely speculation. The Centers for Disease Control research analysis’ do not corroborate toxicity of these preservatives. Mercury produces verified detrimental effects on children when absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. Vaccinations are not absorbed in the GI tract and are instead absorbed in the muscles or subcutaneous tissues, depending on the route of injection.

Throughout research done on the possible link between vaccines and autism, there have been three hypotheses: (1) the combination MMR vaccine causes autism by damaging the intestinal lining, which allows the entrance of encephalopathic proteins; (2) thimerosal, an ethylmercury-containing preservative

This article discusses how mercury and other toxins could be a cause of autism. Autism is closely connected to the toxin overload from both vaccines and the environment, which have a damaging effect on the body. Safeminds is an organization which studies the effect of mercury and focuses on the determining whether or not it causes autism. They believe that because of the toxins in the environment, that when a child is vaccinated, it turns into toxin overload, and damages the body and brain. This information relates to my TED talk because SafeMinds researches trying

The down fall to these vaccinations are the side effects. Most of them are mild ones such as redness, soreness, or inflammation of the injection site. Some others may cause nausea, fever, or things on them lines, but the bottom line is that you’re not going to get a much more serious disease that could

In the world today, there are many diseases and other illnesses that there are vaccinations for. Some having minor side effects, but others preventing of any other serious diseases from happening, or even death. There has been a debate about whether or not parents should vaccinate their children. Those parents that do not think this is a good idea, mostly believe that these vaccinations can cause autism in their children from being so young and being vaccinated. Other parents are for it, so that their child can be healthy, stay away from any other diseases, and are helping those children who can’t be vaccinated. Those children who can’t be vaccinated are usually those that are too young, or are too ill, such as those with leukemia for example. If a child who has the option of getting vaccinated but doesn’t, it can severely harm that child who is too ill. All children, if they are able to, should, and need, to be vaccinated to keep these diseases from spreading any further.

Some people face these risks when not exposing themselves or their children to diseases by not getting immunized. People shouldn’t have to suffer if there is a way for them to save themselves and immunizations help with that. The American Academy of Pediatrics by Margaret Maglione suggests that there are several reasons why parents choose to not expose their children to these vaccinations. She asserts concerns about vaccines for various reasons that led some parents to decline recommended vaccinations and it has led to the progression of the illnesses to the population. Therefore, more people will become stricken with sickness. Being able to take care of themselves by allowing family members, children, and whoever to vaccinated can save lives. The histories of deadly diseases and their effect on the in the U.S. population have proven to be an example of why people should be immune to such avoidable

Most of the research shows no evidence to support that there is a link between vaccinations and autism. Taylor, Swerdfeger, and Eslick (2014) performed a meta-analysis to summarize evidence that was available on this topic from case-control and cohort studies. They assessed the relationships between the development of autism or any autism spectrum disorder and the vaccine administrations (Taylor, Swerdfeger, & Eslick, 2014). Data in the study by Taylor, et al. (2014) showed that there was no relationship between vaccinations and autism, nor between autism and MMR, thimerosal, or mercury. This study not only addressed the relationship between vaccinations and autism but also other factors.

… Today, a common topic among those opposed to vaccination that of the link between vaccines and neurological conditions, particularly Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Many argue that ASD and neurological conditions can be triggered or even caused by vaccines, particularly those with the mercury-based preservative known as thimerosal. Aluminum is also present in some vaccines and excess aluminum in the human body is known to cause neurological harm. Also among the many other toxins and carcinogens present in vaccines is Formaldehyde, exposure to which can cause serious side effects, including central nervous system depression. Never ending are the reports of bright-eyed healthy children up until the day of a vaccination, which is closely followed by rapid decline in developmental progress as well as emotional and psychological regression. Although many scientific studies have concluded that vaccines do not cause ASD, anti-vaxxers are skeptical due to the involvement of pharmaceutical companies in the investigations. 9 major studies have been released since 2003 finding no correlation between vaccines and ASD. All 9 of the studies were funded or conducted by the CDC, an organization that profits immensely from vaccine sales. This only adds to the distrust with which so many people seem to think about the pharmaceutical branch of the medical system. Another issue that is commonly discussed among those with a dubious approach to vaccines is that of fast-tracking. That is, if a particularly promising vaccine is developed by a pharmaceutical company, that company may put in a request for that drug to be fast tracked. If the request is approved by the FDA, experiments and safety testing may be accelerated in order to get the drug on the market as soon as possible. The issue with this, is that there is not always enough time allowed to

A fairly recent study published in the October 2010 issue of Pediatrics had established that “Prenatal and infant exposure to thimerosal does not increase the risk for autism.” Researchers compared 256 children with autism and 752 children without autism, and found that the children with autism received no greater amounts of thimerosal in their vaccines than those without autism.” The study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, Harvard Medical School, Kaiser Permanente, and the University of California’s Center for Vaccine Research, among other well-trusted schools and organizations” (BabyCenter).