Autism And The Mmr Vaccine
What is Autism?
Autism is a complex biological disorder of development that lasts throughout a person’s life. People with autism have problems with social interaction and communication, so they may have trouble having a conversation with you, or they may not look you in the eye. They sometimes have behaviors that they have to do or that they do over and over, like not being able to listen until their pencils are lined up or saying the same sentence again and again. They may flap their arms to tell you they are happy, or they might hurt themselves to tell you they are not.
One person with autism may have different symptoms, show different behaviors, and come from different environments than others with autism. Because of these differences, doctors now think of autism as a “spectrum” disorder, or a group of disorders with a range of similar features. Doctors classify people with autism spectrum disorder based on their autistic symptoms. A person with mild autistic symptoms is at one end of the spectrum. A person with more serious symptoms of autism is at the other end of the spectrum. But they both have a form of ASD.
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , part of the National Institutes of Health , is one of the NIH Institutes doing research into various aspects of autism, including its causes, how many people have it, and its treatments.
Why do people think that vaccines can cause autism?
Should my child have the MMR vaccine?
Nichd Autism Research Information
The US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is one of many federal entities involved in autism spectrum disorder research. NICHD’s portfolio covers a variety of topics in autism, including autism etiology, epidemiology, treatment, and screening. The institute also supports professional training and the development of research infrastructure that will facilitate research in ASD and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Corporate Authors: Publisher: CATEGORY:TYPE:
Where Can I Learn More About Autism And Vaccines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , The American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Food and Drug Administration all have information on their websites detailing vaccine use and the risk of autism spectrum disorder .
Always ask any questions you may have of your pediatrician or other health care provider, too they will have the latest updates.
Recommended Reading: Best Toys For Autistic 2 Year Old
Structural Abnormalities Of The Nervous System
Toxic or viral insults to the fetus that cause autism, as well as certain central nervous system disorders associated with autism, support the notion that autism is likely to occur in the womb. For example, children exposed to thalidomide during the first or early second trimester were found to have an increased incidence of autism. Thalidomide was a medication that used to be prescribed to pregnant women to treat nausea. However, autism occurred in children with ear, but not arm or leg, abnormalities. Because ears develop before 24 days gestation, and arms and legs develop after 24 days gestation, the risk period for autism following receipt of thalidomide must have been before 24 days gestation. In support of this finding, Rodier and colleagues found evidence for structural abnormalities of the nervous system in children with autism. These abnormalities could only have occurred during development of the nervous system in the womb.
Vaccinations And Herd Immunity
Diseases like polio, whooping cough, measles, Haemophilus influenzae, and diphtheria are becoming very rare in the U.S. because the childhood vaccination programs have worked.
When parents stop vaccinating their child, not only is their child at greater risk of disease, other children in their communities, and other communities, are at elevated risk, too. The benefit from widespread vaccination protecting the larger community is known as herd immunity.
The more people who are vaccinated, the fewer opportunities a disease has to spread. If vaccination rates drop nationally, diseases could become as common as they were before vaccines became available.
For example: smallpox is a true success story it has been eliminated from the globe since 1980. The last known case of smallpox in the U.S occurred in 1949, and the last case of naturally occurring smallpox was reported in 1977 in Somalia.
Studies are currently ongoing in children to determine the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines in children under 16 years of age, and initial data from Pfizer-BioNTech looks promising. In participants aged 12-15 years old, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine demonstrated 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses and was well tolerated. These results exceeded those reported in trial of vaccinated 16-25 year old participants in an earlier analysis.
Recommended Reading: High Functioning Autism And Psychosis
Autism And Vaccines In The Media
A Journalists Guide to Covering Outbreaks of Vaccine-Preventable DiseaseFrom the producers of the PBS-NOVA special VaccinesCalling the Shots.
On January 21st, 2011, Dr. Paul Offit was on The Colbert Report speaking about his new book, Deadly Choices: How The Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All..
On September 9, 2014, ASF President Alison Singer was on The Leonard Lopate Show to talk about the risks of not vaccinating.
Whats Next?
If we ask the same questions well get the same answers. Weve asked the autism vaccine question over two dozen times and each time we get the same response: no relationship. We need to move on. We need to invest in studying genetics, the brain structures of children with autism, and environmental factors that may be playing a role.
Beyond The Autism/vaccine Hypothesis: What Parents Need To Know About Autism Research
A decade ago most researchers agreed that we needed to study vaccines in relation to autism. We had to reconcile the fact that the number of vaccines children were receiving was increasing, and at the same time, the number of children who were being diagnosed with autism also was on the rise. Fortunately this was a question that could be studied and answered by science. We looked at children who received vaccines and those who didnt, or who received them on a different, slower schedule. There was no difference in their neurological outcomes. Multiple studies have been completed which investigated the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination in relation to autism. Researchers have also studied thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, to see if it had any relation to autism. The results of studies are very clear the data show no relationship between vaccines and autism. Read the studies themselves below and browse our recommended reading list.
Don’t Miss: Lowest Form Of Autism
What If I Don’t Vaccinate My Child
It is important to vaccinate to prevent outbreaks of diseases that are nearly under control today.
Vaccinations are one of the most important actions we can take to protect ourselves, our children, and our communities from disease. This is especially important for children who cannot be vaccinated because they are too young or sick.
If a case of a disease is introduced into a community where most people are not vaccinated, an outbreak can occur because the widespread protection known as “herd immunity” breaks down. Herd immunity refers to the ability to avoid a contagious disease within a community. This occurs if enough people are immune to the disease by building antibodies, especially through vaccination or prior illness.
In 2000, the United States was declared measles-free.
- But infected travelers visiting or returning to the US from abroad have caused outbreaks, and unvaccinated children are most at risk, research has shown.
- As published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , several measles outbreaks occurred in the U.S. among groups with low vaccination rates, including in the states of Texas, New York and California, in 2014.
- As reported by the CDC, from January 1 to December 31, 2019, 1,282 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 31 states in the U.S. The majority of cases were among people who were not vaccinated against measles.
Researchers Agree The Mmr Vaccine Doesnt Cause Autism But The Evidence Is Weak For Other Triggers After Birth
Overall, the evidence for these prenatal exposures is stronger than the evidence for the range of postnatal causes that may trigger autism, said Amaral.
As he wrote in a recent review on the potential causes of autism, Since autism is a neurological disorder that undoubtedly reflects altered brain function, it is possible that the insult to the brain occurs after birth. But, he added: There is currently very little evidence for this.
One of the most popular theories that the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine may cause autism has been debunked by large-scale studiesinvolving thousands of participants in several countries.
Other popular potential postnatal causes, like profound social isolation among children, have also been disputed.
Even though were still in this gray area of trying to find more certain specific causes of autism, virtually all the causes happen prenatally, Amaral said. If you have autism, youre probably born with it.
You May Like: Mildest Form Of Autism
Doctor Says Vaccines May Cause Autism
A leading doctor who backed vaccine safety has signed a sworn statement saying inoculations can cause autism in some cases.
US paediatric neurologist Dr Andrew Zimmerman says vaccine fever and immune stimulation could cause autism in a subset of children with a mitochondrial dysfunction.
Dr Andrew Zimmerman, who believes the MMR vaccine can cause autism in children with a mitochondrial dysfunction
Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, says throughout his career he has vigorously defended vaccines.
Vaccine link to autism
But in his affidavit he says he told lawyers of the link to autism in 2007.
John Fletcher is a member of Justice, Awareness and Basic Support , a UK self-help group.
The group supports families who believe their children have been damaged by vaccines.
Fletcher called the development in the US very significant.
Brain damage
The UK government awarded him and his wife Jackie £90,000 after the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine gave their 27-year-old son Robert brain damage.
Robert now has epileptic fits, is unable to talk, stand unaided or feed himself. However, he does not have autism.
A jury made up of a judge and two doctors awarded the compensation. They said the ruling had no relevance to the question of a link between the vaccine and autism.
Zimmerman says he told US Department of Justice lawyers of the case at a federal court hearing.
Autism based on genetics
Related:
Vaccination Rates Among Younger Siblings Of Children With Autism
The relationship between adverse reactions to vaccine and autism spectrum disorder has received little attention in research as of this writing. At the public health level, a better understanding of the relationship between perceived adverse reactions to vaccine and autism spectrum disorder is necessary in order to more effectively address concerns about vaccination.
Journal Title: Journal Volume: Publisher: CATEGORY:TYPE:
Reviews recent controversies surrounding immunizations and ASD .
Corporate Authors: Journal Issue: Journal Title: Journal Volume: Publisher: CATEGORY:TYPE:
Le présent article analyse de récentes controverses entourant limmunisation et les troubles envahissants du développment et conclut quaucune donnée nappuie une association entre ces deux éléments.
Corporate Authors: Journal Issue: Journal Title: Journal Volume: Publisher: CATEGORY:TYPE:
Read Also: Autistic Puzzle Piece Symbol
Boys Are More Likely To Have Autism Than Girls
There is one other important finding about autism: It seems to affect boys about four times more than girls.
Researchers have found it takes fewer genetic mutations for boys to get autism than girls, and they call this the female protective effect. It basically means that somehow girls with several autism-related genetic mutations would be able to adapt to that genetic hit with no identifiable autism-like behaviors whereas many boys cant.
The research community doesnt fully understand how this works. But scientists are trying to because it might help them identify biological treatments for autism.
Theres also some research that suggests autism may be harder to spot in girls, so women with it may be under-diagnosed. Autism researchers are working to unpack those subtle gender differences. Again, though, this isnt a cause of the disease just an association with the female sex.
The dearth of iron-clad autism triggers may be why people are vulnerable to the autism-vaccine hypothesis. Its a much clearer explanation than suggesting its the result of some murky genetic-environmental interplay.
For now, vaccines are the wrong explanation for autism, and we should let the idea go. Autism researchers have. The more we hold onto it, the more outbreaks well see like the measles epidemic in Minnesota, where autism fears gripped a community and pushed them away from a life-saving vaccine.
Thimerosal And Autism: What’s The Link
Thimerosal was removed from most vaccines by 2001 . That’s because researchers worried that children were being exposed to too-high levels from receiving multiple vaccinations in a short timeframe. This decision was based on what levels were considered safe for methyl mercurythe kind in fish, which is structurally very different from the ethyl mercury found in thimerosal. Although scientists suspected that thimerosal was much safer than methyl mercury, they decided to remove it anyway, just to be super-careful.
However, a large study published in Archives of General Psychiatry in 2008 found that cases of autism continued to increase in California long after 2001, when thimerosal was removed from most vaccines. “If thimerosal in vaccines were causing autism, we’d expect that diagnoses of autism would decrease dramatically after the chemical was removed from vaccines,” says Eric Fombonne, M.D., director of the psychiatry division at Montreal Children’s Hospital and a member of the National Institutes of Health advisory board for autism research programs. “Not only did cases not decrease, but they continued to rise. That tells us that something else must be responsible for rising rates of autism in this country.”
A series of many studies in other countries and populations drew similar conclusions. “Thimerosal was removed from vaccines in Canada in 1996 and in Denmark in 1992,” says Dr. Fombonne. “Autism is still on the rise in those countries as well.”
Don’t Miss: Word-final Disfluency Autism
Is There A Connection Between Vaccines And Autism
Is there a connection between vaccines and autism? Parris
No, there is no connection between vaccines and autism.
Autism is a condition that affects the brain and makes communicating and interacting with other people more difficult. The cause of autism is unknown. But genetics, differences in brain anatomy, and toxic substances in the environment are thought to contribute to children developing the condition.
So how did the idea that vaccines play a role get started? Much of the blame lies with a study published in 1998 that suggested that the MMR vaccine, or infection with the naturally occurring measles virus itself, might cause autism. Since then, numerous scientific studies have shown that there is no link between vaccines or any of their ingredients and autism. And the research used in that study was found to be false, the doctor who wrote it lost his medical license, and the medical journal that published it retracted the paper .
Even with the overwhelming evidence that vaccines are safe and effective, some parents still decide not to have their children vaccinated or to delay vaccinations. But this is extremely risky because vaccine-preventable diseases like measles are still around. An unvaccinated child who gets one of these preventable diseases could get very sick or even die, as could other people around the child.
Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy In Autism Families
Beliefs about causes of autism and vaccine hesitancy among parents of children with autism spectrum disorderVaccineSeptember 2020
Parental attitudes and decisions regarding MMR vaccination during an outbreak of measles among an undervaccinated Somali community in MinnesotaVaccineOctober 2020
Vaccine Hesitancy and Attributions for Autism among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Groups of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study
Don’t Miss: Highest Form Of Autism
Study Shows Link Between Autism And Vaccines Using Cells Lines From Aborted Babies
A new study has been released that shows that increases in autism rates are linked to the introduction of vaccines manufactured using human fetal cell lines from aborted babies. While this has been theorized in the past, this connection has now been analyzed using worldwide data. Researchers have identified three specific change points in which the incidence of autism rose significantly in the U.S., as well as points in other countries. Each of these points corresponds to the times that a vaccine containing DNA from aborted babies was added to the recommended vaccine schedule.
The study was published in September in the Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, and was designed to analyze whether or not the environmental factor of the fetal cells could be connected with the rise in autism. According to Health Impact News, they found that the two were directly related, and that there was no other factor that could account for the jump in autism rates. The study is the first of its kind to examine the relationship between autism and human cells from aborted babies in vaccines.
Earlier researchers theorized that the measles part of the MMR was what was dangerous. Later, mercury in vaccines became the focus of attention. However, the MMR doesn’t contain any mercury.
The researchers for the study state that “human fetal DNA fragments are inducers of autoimmune reactions, while both DNA fragments are know to potential genomic insertion and mutations.”
Not Vaccinating Your Kids Puts Everyone In Danger
These anti-vaxxers’ actions have serious health consequences for kids everywhere.
The anti-vaccine movement caused the worst measles outbreak in 20 years, according to a 2015 Center for Disease Control report. The United States erradicated Measles in 2000 and Whooping Cough in 1976, but have now made a comeback.
Don’t Miss: Autism And Cognitive Development
Claims Of Measles Viruscrohn’s Disease Link
Back in the UK, he worked on the liver transplant programme at the Royal Free Hospital in London. In 1993, Wakefield attracted professional attention when he published reports in which he concluded that measles virus might cause Crohn’s disease and two years later he published a paper in The Lancet proposing a link between the measles vaccine and Crohn’s disease. Subsequent research failed to confirm this hypothesis, with a group of experts in Britain reviewing a number of peer-reviewed studies in 1998 and concluding that the measles virus did not cause Crohn’s disease, and neither did the MMR vaccine.
Later, in 1995, while conducting research into Crohn’s disease, he was approached by Rosemary Kessick, the parent of a child with autism, who was seeking help with her son’s bowel problems and autism Kessick ran a group called Allergy Induced Autism. In 1996, Wakefield turned his attention to researching possible connections between the MMR vaccine and autism.
At the time of his MMR research study, Wakefield was senior lecturer and honorary consultant in experimental gastroenterology at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine . He resigned in 2001, by “mutual agreement and was made a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists”, and moved to the US in 2001 . He was reportedly asked to leave the Royal Free Hospital after refusing a request to validate his 1998 Lancet paper with a controlled study.