Autism And Vaccines: A Case Study

The researchers looked over the health records of 95,727 children, including more than 15,000 children unvaccinated at age 2 and more than 8,000 still unvaccinated at age 5. 2,000 of these children were considered at risk for autism because they were born into families that already had a child with the disorder.The study looked at the autism rates and MMR vaccination at ages 2, 3, 4 and 5 years olds. It showed no increase in Autism in any age. Autism rates we surprisingly lower in vaccinated

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

Although there is no scientific proof that vaccines cause autism, proponents still believe that they do. The theory that vaccines cause autism were based on unproven facts and falsified information (DeStefano 81). In an article called CNS Drugs, the author writes about how a man named AJ Wakefield stun the public with a theory that the MMR vaccine may cause autism and how enterocolitis (bowel dysfunction) and MMR vaccine may be linked to autism (DeStefano 831). Even though Wakefield falsified information and his theories were proven to be discredited many people still

The controversy over the MMR vaccine started in the late 1990’s when Andrew Wakefield suggested that there was a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism in a scientific paper which he had published with several other co-authors. Although there has not been a proven fact that the MMR vaccine is the causation to autism it has brought concerns to parents and has caused a major drop in immunization rates. For example, Dannetun et al., 2005 states that, “Fear of side effects and beliefs

Autism is a developmental disability caused by neurological dysfunction. It affects the way a person understands and responds to the world, how they hear, see, feel, sense, perceive and interpret everything around them. This may affect how they eat, sleep, dress, work, spend leisure time etc. They are likely to have repetitive behaviour

170). Thimerosal was first introduced in the 1930’s and is a preservative that eliminated the bacterial contamination in vaccines, but could possibly sit in the brain and cause neurological damage (Mooney, 2009, p. 60). Before 1989, American preschoolers had to only receive three vaccines; for polio, diphtheria-pertussis, and MMR. In 1999 the FDA and CDC decided that vaccine users should reduce or even get rid of the amount of thimerosal used in vaccines. The CDC also recommended that newborns should wait to get the Hepatitis B vaccination until a thimerosal free vaccination became available (Miller & Reynolds, 2009, p. 170). According to head of the chemistry department at University of Kentucky, Dr. Boyd Haley, “‘You couldn’t even construct a study that shows thimerosal is safe, it’s just too darn toxic. If you inject thimerosal into an animal, its brain will sicken. If you apply it to living tissues, the cells die. Knowing these things, it would be shocking if one inject it into an infant without causing damage’” (Kennedy, 2005, p. 59). With the being said, vaccine manufacturers began working to find a way to make a thimerosal-free vaccination, and eventually they made one. Then a decade later, children were receiving a total of 22 vaccinations by the time they started first grade. As the number of vaccines that children needed went up, the autism rate stayed

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).

The whole MMR vaccination and Autism inspiration was first brought about by three key points. In the book “The Everything Parent 's Guide To Vaccines: Balanced, Professional Advice To Help You Make The Best Decision For Your Child” the author told what they were in an authentic way. It stated “The first was an observation that the number of children diagnosed with Autism increased dramatically right around the same time the MMR combination vaccine became introduced in the United States and Great Britain. The second was based on a study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield in 1998 Published in the respected scientific journal Lancet. The third is based on the fact that children with Autism were first diagnosed with the condition right after they received the MMR vaccine.” (Leslie 67). However, these three points didn’t gain an exceptional start since Dr. Wakefield was later found not credible, and his license is under legal indictment (Leslie 69). Since Dr. Wakefield did not follow through with a credible study, it severely damaged his followers opinions and did not help the theory that Autism and vaccinations are linked.

unnatural substances that make up vaccines can lead to a disorder called autism. While many

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.

The figure below shows the correlation between the MMR immunization and cases of autism. The upper two curves show the percentages of children receiving MMR immunization by 17 and 24 months of age. The lower curve on the chart shows the number of cases of children with autism with the birth year of 1985.

This article uses meta-analysis which is ‘the statistical procedure for combining data from multiple sources’ (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis, 2006). Through this large cohort study, it affirmed that no evidence was found that the risk of developing autism or the disorder itself is because of the MMR vaccine. (Taylor, 2014, p.3627). To select relevant or accurate case or cohort studies they had to assess each of the one-hundred and thirteen initial studies, where they found only five case-control cohort studies which identified for inclusion in the review. The large case sample size of 9920 children, the thorough selection of articles and the strictly followed scientific method gives this article high credibility and scientific rigour as there is less room for bias. As stated in the article ‘no limits were placed on publication date’ ensuring the reader that this study was not rushed in any way hence allowing all authors to analyse data with depth and raise any questions they felt necessary (Taylor, 2014, p.3624). Scientific rigour is also assessed by removing the presence of bias in certain sources. Taylor and Swerdferger worked independently to enhance credibility through evaluating each abstract and method