Myth of Link Between Autism and Childhood Vaccines

In 1998 one of the most well respected medical journals, The Lancet, published a research article by Dr. Andrew Wakefield. The article, which linked the development of autism with certain childhood vaccines, has since been retracted by the journal. The study has been deemed by leaders within the international medical community as a fraud. Unfortunately, the false findings that were reported in the study have perpetuated a myth about the development of autism. This has left many children across the country and in several developed nations around the world without protection to serious childhood diseases.

One of the vaccines targeted by Dr. Wakefield and his small band of supporters is one of the most common childhood vaccines, the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine, or MMR. After the release of his study, many concerned parents who feared a life of autism for their children, made the choice not to vaccinate. This choice left their children vulnerable to potentially deadly, albeit entirely preventable, common childhood diseases. Regrettably, Dr. Wakefield's paper did a lot of damage.

Studies that have been conducted since the flawed 1998 study have debunked and disproved any link between childhood vaccines and autism. Some parents believe that, although not the root cause of autism, vaccines can act as triggers that can encourage the development of autism in genetically predisposed children. However, medical research since 1998 has found no evidence to support this belief.

While it is understandable for parents to be concerned about the substances put in their children's bodies, they must also weigh the benefits of potentially lifesaving vaccines. Parents who support the anti-vaccination movement often only hear the arguments of parents with autistic children who blame vaccines for their child's condition, ignoring the experiences of parents who have lost children to childhood diseases that were entirely preventable.

One common argument from anti-vaccination parents is that a child who has never been vaccinated against disease does not need additional defenses when all of the other children they come in contact with have been vaccinated. In theory, this idea makes sense; unfortunately, it just doesn't work on a practical level. Children come into contact with much more than just their school peers. Peers who have been vaccinated from disease cannot protect unvaccinated children from the spread of diseases from other sources, like germ carrying animals, rusty metal objects, as well as other children whose parents also do not believe in vaccinations. Moreover, many unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children leave the potential for outbreaks of disease.

The purpose of this article is not to chastise or belittle anyone's beliefs, only to inform parents on the disease preventing power of vaccinations, and the great risks taken when parents decide not to have their children vaccinated. The use of vaccines has led to overall improvements in children's health. Many of the infectious diseases that had one time plagued us, no longer are a threat to most children today.

As always, parents who are unsure or unclear about how vaccinations work or how they will affect their children should consult an experienced pediatrician.