Vaccines Cause Autism

By: Army Medicine

Fact or Fiction?

To vaccinate or to not vaccinate?  A question every parent must face.  Recently more parents show concern that vaccinations can cause autism,  particularly the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.  Do vaccinations cause autism?

Myth

The anti-vaccine movement gained attention when an article written by Dr. Andrew Wakefield was published in The Lancet.  The article claimed the MMR vaccine could cause a healthy child to develop autism.  Since publication in 1998 many parents have stepped forward with claims that their child developed autism after receiving a vaccination.  It is important to note that Dr. Wakefield’s publication was found to have no factual basis and his paper was retracted along with his medical license.

Dr. Wakefield’s study was based on a small group of children which claimed the ingredients contained in the MMR vaccine could penetrate the gastrointestinal tract which could in turn affect the child’s central nervous system and the brain.  This study has been replicated multiple times with and with larger groups of study participants and researchers have been unable to find any correlation Dr. Wakefield’s claim.

By: makelessnoise

It is understandable for parents to have concerns about vaccinating their children.  Celebrities have publicly come forward with their views that vaccinations cause autism which  creates fear in decision making for parents.  Social media has played a major role in the growth and development of this myth.  There are a vast number of claims in social media that can be found when searched on the internet which may appear factual, however personal claims are not scientific.

Support groups, forums and you tube videos reflect many personal, non scientific, accounts that make the claim vaccinations can cause autism.  Parents need to be informed and talk to their pediatricians and seek information that is factual.  Many parents seek information on the internet; however, no scientific data to support the theory that vaccinations cause autism  exist.

Fact

There is however, scientific data to support the fact that vaccinations do not cause autism.

By: National Eye Institute

A Spokesperson for Autism Speaks recently made a statement that alters their position on the belief that vaccines cause autism, “Over the last two decades, extensive research has asked whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism.  The results of this research are clear: Vaccines to not cause autism.  We urge that all children be fully vaccinated.” Click here to visit Autism Speaks.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also strongly supports the statement that vaccines do not cause autism as indicated in this article.

There have also been several independent studies performed by the National Institute of Medicine have concluded that the supposed link between vaccinations and autism lacks any factual basis.

Questions on safety of vaccinations?  Explore www.CDC.gov.

Be informed, know the facts.

References

Anderson, V. (2015). Promoting Childhood Immunizations. Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 11(1); 1-10. 10p.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/policy-statements/information-about-vaccines-and-autism.

Capron, A.M. (2015). Personal Beliefs Exemption from Mandatory Immunization of Children for School Entry. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 4312(21) 10p. doi:10.111/jlme.12262.   http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=109823416&site=nrc-live

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html

Recame, Michelle (2012). The Immunization-Autism Myth Debunked. International Journal of Childbirth Education. 27(4): 76-78. 3p.