Vaccines Are Not the Cause of Autism Essay

Some parental concerns persist that vaccines may cause Autism. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed throughout the years. There is a major worldwide increasing rate of Autism diagnoses. Theories have centered on measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, thimerosal, and the large number of vaccines being administered. Studies have showed that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing Autism Spectrum Disorder. An Institute of Medicine in 2001 did a report on eight different vaccines given to children and adults found that rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe. In 2013, another study added to the research stating that vaccines do not cause Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many vaccine-averse parents argue that while vaccines might

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

Imagine this, you have had your first child. You want to protect your child at all costs. Your child is young and innocent and you want them to be protected from all illnesses. The doctor asks if you want your child to be vaccinated. You do a search about the risks from getting vaccinated and you learn that it supposedly can cause autism. Even though you know that you want your child to live a healthy life Imagine this, you have had your first child. You want to protect your child at all costs. Your child is young and innocent and you want them to be protected from all illnesses. The doctor asks if you want your child to be vaccinated. You do a search about the risks from getting vaccinated and you learn that it supposedly can cause autism. Even though you know that you want your child to live a healthy life, you don’t want to possibly give them autism. The question still remains, do vaccines cause autism?

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?

Although the negative claims behind anti-immunization stances are deceptive and discredited, some parents find it difficult to accept that vaccines are necessary and safe. Many of these reasons are due to personal or religious beliefs that have persuaded parents to bypass immunizations for their children. Consequently, health officials are seeing disquieting rises of diseases that are easily preventable. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported hundreds of measles cases in the United States in 2011, the largest number in 15 years (Ben-Joseph, Elana). Essentially, almost all of these cases were in individuals who had not received a vaccine shot. Also found in the article was that a great amount of the quarrel over the shots comes from a 1998 study that tried to connect autism to a type of vaccine that defends against measles. However, there has been no scientific evidence that a vaccine or a combination of any of the shots induces autism. Undoubtedly, the doctor that wrote the article, calling vaccines a “deliberate fraud” ,lost his license for not submitting any evidence of his claim and causing people to neglect shots for that year. Sadly, due to that article, 1 in 4 parents still believe that vaccines are

Unfortunately, little progress has been made since then, as reports from 2015 show only 72.2 percent of U.S. children are fully vaccinated (KFF, 2017). Healthy People 2020 recommends a national goal of 80 percent to maintain herd immunity (Child Trends Databank, 2015). Despite the life-saving importance of immunization, these stagnant rates show that many mothers of U.S. children do not adhere to vaccination recommendations. These critics and skeptics of vaccines are a part of the anti-vaccination movement. Originating upon the discovery of the first vaccine in 1796, this movement has progressed for hundreds of years. Currently, through media and prominent anti-vax social figures, the public can easily be relayed messages of vaccine controversies rather than scientific facts. Falsehoods include perceived low risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, “overloading” the child’s immune system, mercury in vaccines, reports of negative reactions after vaccination, and the infamously popular myth that vaccines cause autism (Mittenzwei, Morrison, & Williams,

Every child born in America is unique: whether it be because of skin color, hair color, birth weight, complications while still in the womb, or difficulties at birth. Yet when it comes to vaccinations they are all treated equal and are expected to follow the government recommended vaccination schedule. Once these vaccinations have been given, they cannot be removed from a child’s body. The harm they may have caused a child, cannot be reversed. Parents need to be aware of what is in these vaccines and the possible harmful effects they can have on their child. While the official cause of autism has not been clearly determined, parents of young children and expecting parents need to be aware that research shows a definite link between

A recent hysteria has spread over the United States as fast as it did in Salem over three-hundred years ago. When people can not understand a negative reaction from the medicine they look towards rumors as answers. An instance is “ most prominently actress and model Jenny McCarthy, who has attributed her son 's diagnosis of autism to vaccination,” (Smuskiewicz). There has been a growing number of rumors where parents attribute disorders to vaccines like multiple sclerosis, “other claims have drawn associations between the hepatitis B vaccine and multiple sclerosis,” (Smuskiewicz). All these disorders are known to deal with a weakened immune system, taking advantage of that fact upset parents are talking about “ toxic factors responsible for causing diseases and disabilities” to which doctors have logical counterclaims. Many talk of how those vaccines are used in order to keep the public as a whole protected from the spreading of diseases, but “...vaccine opponents fail to support their claims with plausible explanations for the biochemical mechanisms by which vaccines could cause the diseases, disabilities, or deaths that are claimed,” (Smuskiewicz). Experts were able to prove doctors correctly as the proportions of mercury to the vaccine were “too small” to cause any actual harm over a few minor effects. A multitude of

Vaccines have been used to prevent diseases for centuries, and have saved countless lives of children and adults. The smallpox vaccine was invented as early as 1796, and since then the use of vaccines has continued to protect us from countless life threatening diseases such as polio, measles, and pertussis. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) assures that vaccines are extensively tested by scientist to make sure they are effective and safe, and must receive the approval of the Food and Drug Administration before being used. “Perhaps the greatest success story in public health is the reduction of infectious diseases due to the use of vaccines” (CDC, 2010). Routine immunization has eliminated smallpox from the globe and

There has been much research and debate on whether vaccines cause autism, however, there is no evidence that Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccination is associated to autism. Parental age and pregnancy complications have been the most studied risk factors for ASD especially low birth weight and prematurity. Three of five studies have found low birth weight to have a significant association with autism spectrum disorder. Mothers aged 35 years and older and fathers aged 40 to 49 years have also found significant associations with autism. Pregnancy complications have been found to be significantly associated with ASD according to a 2012 systematic review. Prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal overall health have been explored by many studies. A cohort

It’s hard to imagine a world without vaccines—a world where “getting sick” had the potential to be fatal (or at least cause irreparable damage to one’s body). In this world, diseases robbed millions of bright-eyed children of their lives. Thankfully, though, with the development of vaccines, populations have grown larger and healthier over the past century. Sadly, despite the improved longevity of our species, many people are still undecided about—or vehemently against—childhood vaccination. They claim that vaccinations are dangerous and responsible for autism and other conditions. Medical experts, however, refute these claims by citing both the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. In fact, according to Centers for Disease Control and

Autism is a disorder that is classified by certain difficulties with social skills, difficulties with communication, and repetitive behavior (NIHM RSS). One of the first studies that started the belief that vaccines may be the leading cause of autism started in 1998. “The MMR scare started 10 years ago with a report published which described the case of 8 children who…developed autistic symptoms and digestive ailments shortly after getting their first MMR dose,” (Downs). This report, paired with claims made by numerous

Even though it is a requirement by law to have children vaccinated before starting kindergarten, parents are refusing or delaying their children to be given specific vaccines due to the risk of their offspring developing autism (Wakefield). The components of specific childhood vaccines are what scares the parents, not the vaccine in general. Childhood vaccines contain the compound thimerosal and mercury which is not even necessary in vaccines. These compounds are only added to vaccines to act as a preservative, which allows the vaccine to be protected against contamination since there are several doses of vaccines in the same bottle (Plotkin et al.). If the compounds are not used as a main ingredient in certain vaccines, then they should not be added due to the fatal side effects. With that being said, when “a child gets a vaccine, the presence of the amount of mercury exceed the federal safety guidelines for the oral ingestion of mercury” (Wakefield), and the federal guidelines for ingestion of mercury in children is 0.3 micrograms. Since the children will be inhaling or ingesting more mercury and thimerosal than allowed my law, it can lead to intestine and body mutations. More specifically, multiple vaccines can overwhelm the immune system, create wrong interactions with the nervous system and even damage to the brain tissue (Plotkin et al.). Not only will

For years there has been many speculations conveying that some vaccines, particularly Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) causes signs of autism. Many compelling concerns have been formulated from parents of children who received vaccines and associated noticeable changes in their children with early signs of autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the behaviour and cognition of children (Quinn, 2014). Autism impairs communication, interest and repetitive patterns of behaviour in a child’s socialization aspect of life (Quinn, 2014). Evidently, autism has shown a prevalent increase amongst children in question with environmental causes (Doja & Roberts, 2006). Hypotheses speculate the MMR vaccine, gastrointestinal infections, Thimerosal, mercury and exposure to the live virus all correlate to early signs of autism after given the vaccine. However, vaccinations are a preventive measure against severe viruses as related to SC/BIOL2900 course content. It is a harmless agent that triggers the immunity and stimulates the body’s defence mechanism against harmful viruses (Taylor, et al., 1999). This essay will present different perspectives of vaccinations and autism following the concluded reasons I believe that vaccinations do not cause autism and illustrate better implications that can be provided to parents with concerns of this non-warranted causation.

When vaccines were invented in 1796, mankind was making a massive leap in terms of medicine. This is because up until then, it was impossible to make diseases such as the chicken pox and polio almost helpless. Vaccines are one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Fortunately, over the past few years, people are realizing that the rumors about vaccines being linked with autism are false. Vaccines have an extremely positive effect on society; the federal government should make laws to make vaccination mandatory, they should also start forcing pharmaceutical brands to produce to not profit.