The Cause Of Autism In Children

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

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?

But there was studies by the Institute of Medicine, where they gave children eight different vaccines and there were no reports of autism (CDC 1). It is a rare exception if there is some illness caused by the vaccinations. Someone might argue that the ingredients that the vaccine is made of might be the slight chance their child develops autism, but there is also no link. The Institute of Medicine studied thimerosal that is use to prevent contamination of multidose vials of vaccinations. They concluded that the evidence rejects any evidence that the ingredient causes ASD, measles, mumps, or rubella in children. (CDC 1). As a precaution, thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccinations except for some flu

He believed that vaccines for mumps, measles, and rubella or MMR are unsafe due to the fact that all these vaccines have thimerosal. Thimerosal prevents contamination and is also a preservative. Thimerosal contains mercury which is harmful for the brain. He claimed, “Government health agencies colluded with Big Pharma to hide the risks of thimerosal from the public. . . . A chilling case study of institutional arrogance, power, and greed” (qtd. in Vaccination Nation, 2012). He concluded that children were poisoned by the pharmaceutical industry. This idea led people to believe vaccines cause autism, which is another danger. The rubella or MMR vaccine contains live microorganisms. According to one article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, written by Bridget Kuahn, “The MMR vaccine can cause febrile seizures and this vaccine can cause inflammation in some individuals with severe immune deficiencies” (2014). This statement proves that vaccines have effects in the brain, which is another reason society believes vaccines can cause autism. Another example of adverse side effects from vaccines is the polio vaccine. The polio disease can trigger the disease in the body. The polio vaccine has “inactivated” polio microorganisms, and can trigger an infection. In the article, Vaccines: The Real Issues in Vaccine Safety, written by Roberta Kwok, a writer. She talks about a father, John, who vaccinated his son. She states, “David,

Also being linked to Autism and most vaccinations is Thimerosal. Thimerosal is the preservative in vaccinations used to keep them free of fungi and bacteria, also known as mercury. In 2001 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released results from a study that found levels of mercury in immunizations were 2 times what the Environmental Protection Agency deemed safe. (Park, 2008) Another study found the likeliness of neurodevelopment disorder increased 4 fold, on average, following an additional 75-100 microgram dosage in thimerosal-containing vaccinations in comparison to thimerosal-free vaccinations. (Geier & Geier, 2003) Following studies such as these the FDA took into consideration all of the concern and “theoretical potential for neurotoxicity” and decided to reduce the amount of thimerosal in vaccinations. In most cases the preservative has been removed completely. (FDA / Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, 2009)

It wasn’t until a year later, when the Food and Drug Administration recommended removing thimerosal from childhood vaccines as a precautionary measure, stressing that it could find no positive link with autism. Then the American press picked up on the debate.

From the time children are born to the time they are in preschool, most children receive 14 different vaccinations (Miller & Reynolds, 2009). As a result of the extended time frame these vaccinations are given, parents worry about their children developing autism based on all of the cognitive development that is going on at this time. Another thing that makes parents worry more is the fact that the number of autism cases has been increasing over the last several decades (Miller & Reynolds, 2009). In the past, thimerosal was the one item included in vaccinations that people thought caused autism. What people do not know is that “today, all vaccines are available without thimerosal, including several influenza vaccine presentations” (Miller & Reynolds, 2009). Although, this statement could be misleading because the U.S. Court of Federal Claims stated that “after reviewing 5,000 pages of transcripts, 939 medical articles, 50 expert reports, and hearing testimony from 28 experts, that the MMR and thimerosal-containing vaccines, independently or together, were not causal factors in the development of autism or ASD” (Miller & Reynolds, 2009). If vaccines don’t contain thimerosal anymore, why did the court release this statement? Parents and others involved believe so strongly about this issue that the court thought this statement would relive some of the worry. According

Individuals that feel that vaccinating their children is unnecessary hold some very strong arguments. One controversial topic is that vaccines can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects. All vaccinations carry a risk for serious allergic reactions according to the CDC. The rotavirus vaccination can cause extreme bowel blockage that can require hospitalization in babies. The CDC has also stated that pneumonia can be caused by the chickenpox vaccine. According to the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), vaccines may be linked to learning disabilities, asthma, autism, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and other disabilities. Another disputable topic is that vaccines contain harmful ingredients. Thimerosal, an organic mercury compound found in trace amounts in one flu

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

The reality is that adverse reactions to vaccines are extremely rare. The most common side effect of vaccines, anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction), occurs in one per several hundred thousand to one per million vaccinations (Dohenny). The fear that vaccines cause serious health problems in otherwise healthy children is a holdover from Wakefield’s false reporting and other conspiracy theorist groups. In recent years, the dangers of the mercury-containing organic compound Thimerosal have been called into question. It has been used as a preservative in many vaccines, but the Food and Drug Administration says that Thimerosal is harmless in the small doses used. Regardless of the lack of evidence showing its harmfulness, almost all vaccines are now Thimerosal

Barrett, Julia R. "Pediatric Vaccines And Neurodevelopment." Environmental Health Perspectives 123.6 (2015): A156. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2015. This article focuses on a specific ingredient, Thimerosal, and its relationship to autism. The study finds that there is no correlation between the two when used on Macaques who have similar learning and memory processes and social interaction as humans. The main argument is against the link between vaccination and autism and the scholarly article aims to prove this through the use of a study. The article is neutral in terms of bias as it provides factual information based off of studies. It is a relevant source as it talks about a study showing there is no correlation between autism and vaccination. The article ends with a list of sources and references to check its facts and data. This source will help me in my essay as it helps to disprove the myth of autism and vaccination.

Many people question the safety of vaccines, therefore they refuse them. Most popular is the idea that vaccines can be a cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that this is false. The CDC repeatedly says that there is no link between these two. There have been studies showing that the ingredients in vaccines are not the cause of Autism. “One vaccine ingredient that has been studied specifically is thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used to prevent contamination of multidose vials of vaccines. Research shows that thimerosal does not cause ASD” (Centers for Disease Control). “The most recent Cochrane systematic review of research on the MMR vaccine included six self-controlled case series studies, two ecological studies, one case crossover trial,

The purpose of report is to explore the possible link between the development of Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and vaccinations containing thimerosal. Around the world, there is a debate over the administration of the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccination due to the use of the preserver, Thimerasol. Thimerasol’s use is controversial to the fact that the compound contains the toxic chemical element, mercury (Hg). In 1999, the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics pushed the FDA for the removal of mercury from vaccinations administered to children under the age of six. Although this measure was only of a cautionary nature, it led to many parents

According to the CDC, autism is “a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges (Facts About Autism, 2016)”. Autism was first discussed in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner, after he observed 11 children who had fixations on the inanimate environment rather than people (Quick Facts About Autism). It affects about one percent of the population, and is

Furthermore, they believe that these illnesses are not serious. Not only parents, but also advocates for anti-vaccination are a huge voice in this heated debate. Whether the public understands and accepts important information in the debate will depend on both the communication skills, and the credibility, of the source. Vaccines are as safe as humans can presently make them. Yet as in any health intervention, some level of uncertainty will always remain (Clements). It is now the responsibility of the parents of these young children to make the pivotal decision in their young child’s life. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate is a question that many parents find extremely difficult to answer. However, once faced with the research and safety statistics surrounding the MMR vaccine, the answer may be clearer than once believed. Starting with the controversy of the presence of thimerosal, once further research is done the speculation over its presence and lack of safety can be dismissed entirely.