Can a simple vaccination, something thought to keep people in good health, cause autism and possibly have other worse side effects? There has been quite a number of quarrels about vaccines and their part in causing autism. Some people believe that vaccines are absolutely harmless and that it’s your parental responsibility to keep your kid vaccinated, others believe that vaccines are extremely detrimental to children and cause autism. Because of this controversy there has been people who will not get their children vaccinated causing even more controversy. I believe at this time, given our information collected by scientists, it’s clear that thimerosal is a harmful preservative and may onset autism in those whom are already predisposed to it. …show more content…
Research has been done, but there still is no definitive answer to whether or not vaccines are directly involved with the onset of autism. An ingredient within children’s vaccines is a mercurial substance called thimerosal has been blamed for being the actual cause of autism in children receiving vaccines (Madsen and Kreesten 1.) The National Academy of Sciences stated “methylmercury (thimerosal) exposure alone may cause neurological problems in 60,000 children in the United States annually” (Rimland, Bernard, and McGinnis 4.)
“Children with autism have immune abnormalities such as an impaired resistance to infections, and weaker than average autoimmune systems. Live viruses that are in infections such as measles, mumps, and rubella can trigger an onset of regressed autism in some people, in these people when thimerosal was introduced via injection it could worsen the effects of infections such as rubella resulting in chronic stomach infections” (Rimland, Bernard, and McGinnis
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Anyone who thinks vaccines directly cause autism is wrong and ill-informed. I believe that due to the mercurial properties of thimerosal and the proven side effects of it it shouldn’t be used in vaccinations for babies. I think that there should be a change in the preservatives they decide to implement into vaccines. Vaccinations have been extremely helpful in keeping people from getting sick and dying, but I think there are improvements that could be made. Some of the points made by people who think vaccines cause autism are generally calling upon fundamentally undeveloped theories such as vaccines causing regressed autism, and worsening the anti-socialism within children with autism are all built around theoretical reactions and events that weren’t properly recorded. Vaccinations have made living easier on the immune systems of many newborns and old people, and will continue to do more good than harm, but there are improvements that should be made to further optimize the
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
My cousin recently became a mother, and has expressed with me her concerns to vaccinate her child. Her main concern is that vaccines have been linked to autism and other health problems. There are multiple articles circulating the internet alerting parents of possible side effects of vaccinations; some even claiming to have scientific proof to support their claims.
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
Many parents are skeptical about getting their children vaccinated because of the fear that it may cause autism. The question of whether vaccines cause autism is still a controversial subject among many citizens today especially parents. Some citizens argue that vaccines are not safe and could potentially cause autism. Parents believe that vaccine caused their child to develop autism because autism symptoms become apparent around the same time that children were getting their routine vaccinations (WebMD). Many people believe that vaccines are completely safe and do not cause autism in fact some citizens argue that all children should be vaccinated to prevent sickness and serious diseases in fact there have been many studies conducted to prove that vaccines do not cause autism. Despite controversial claims, there is no scientific evidence that links vaccines to autism.
Every year, tens of thousands Americans die from the seasonal flu alone. This alarming statistic is what led the United States government to urge the country to vaccinate themselves, as well as their children every November, when the flu season is fast approaching. Though countless Americans do follow the government’s plea, many others insist that these vaccines distributed every year (as well as other year-long vaccines) contain an abnormally high amount of thimerosal, (a mercury-based chemical in vaccines designed to prevent the growth of bacteria) which could eventually lead to autism. This generation of fear is what has led many concerned parents to refuse to vaccinate their children, who seem to be the most vulnerable to this disease.
One of the most controversial stories in today’s medicine is between autism and vaccinations. Autism is a disorder that makes it difficult for people to communicate with others and form relationships with them. It has been thought that vaccinations that children receive at an early age cause autism. Autism has become more prevalent over the years and scientists are still unsure how the disorder has come about. Some parents have taken it upon themselves to not vaccinate their children because they believe it will cause their child to become autistic. The real question is do vaccines really cause autism and if so which vaccine is it?
“Today one in every 150 children has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum; 20 years ago that statistic was one in 10,000” (Mooney, 2009, p. 58). There are many vaccines that are administered to children today that protect them from measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, tetanus, invasive Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) infections, etc. (Miller & Reynolds, 2009, p. 167). Among these and many other diseases children are currently being vaccinated against 14 diseases, and these take place from infancy until the start of kindergarten. These childhood vaccinations are given as early as they can be to make sure the children are protected against any diseases that can occur in their
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.
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.
Do vaccines cause autism is a question that has been bouncing around for over twenty years. The increase in the number of diagnosed cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased significantly and due to the impact this has in people’s lives several studies have been done in an effort to determine the cause. More specifically the MMR, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, vaccination has been accused of being the cause of autism. This accusation then contributed to families not vaccinating their children. Even though science disproves the link between vaccines and autism in several studies done in the United Kingdom, California, and Canada, many people cling to the vaccination-autism connection (Gerber, 2009).
Thimerosal is arguably the most debated ingredient that is contained in vaccines. Thimerosal is a “mercury-based preservative” and is used in order to “prevent contamination of multidose vials” (“Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism”). Anti-vaccinators argue that the mercury contained in the preservative is the culprit for causing autism to
The argument that vaccines cause Autism began in 1998 when British surgeon Andrew Wakefield published a study, suggesting that the MMR vaccine given to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella increased autism in children. Autism is a mental condition involving issues in the brain development, it is
If parents do not vaccinate their children, the kids are exposed to many diseases like mumps, measles, chicken pox, and even polio. Whenever a parent who makes sure her children are vaccinated sees another parent ranting on how vaccines gave their child autism, of course it is natural for that other parent to start getting a little fearful of vaccinations. Then eventually they will decide to not give the kids vaccinations anymore. Not only are the parents that go on about how vaccines cause autism are basing their theory on something that they have no real evidence over, they are also tricking other parents into thinking that they are right. Moreover, it has been proven that autism is caused by “genetic factors like mutations, deletions, and copy number variants” (Landrigan). Autism is essentially a brain disorder, and there are mutations in the brain that messes with the behavioral part of the brain. While doctors can’t screen a child to see if they are autistic, the child’s behavior lets the doctor know if they are autistic. While some people might argue and say since the doctor can’t tell if a child is autistic or not by screening them, then it is possible that the chemical thimerosal that is used to preserve vaccines from contamination can cause autism. However, this is an unbacked claim. There is essentially no evidence that can prove that thimerosal-containing vaccines causes autism. This is proven in the Michelle Cedillo case of 1997. A
With all the hype about and numerous articles about vaccines causing autism, many parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children. Thimerosal are often added to vaccines as a preservative.