I know this is a huge debate and I suppose it comes down to personal choice in the end, but I have been thinking about this lately as Jaden's one year immunizations are coming up next week. I've been hearing more and more about the link between the MMR vaccine and autism, so I did some research and went directly to medical professionals, and this is what they told me:
"Well, my understanding is that the research done in the past that linked MMR vaccine and autism was actually shown to be based on fraudulent results - the doctor who did the study lost his license and the study was retracted, but by then the damage had been done in terms of people's concerns. In some countries, they actually stopped vaccinating with MMR and saw no changes in autism rates (although they did see a rise in measles, mumps and rubella rates). I think that much of the the rise in autism is related to better diagnosis, and perhaps there is some relation to our diets (preservatives etc) or even our electronic media habits...If you feel better about postponing it, you could, but you have to weigh the risks of him being possibly exposed to those diseases and getting seriously ill in the meanwhile. Of course, I'm pro-immunization, but I think that the evidence against it is not convincing. If you want to do some reading about it, there's a great book called "Your Child's Best Shot" - I know a lot of libraries have it. It looks at the issues around immunization."
You should read the article, "MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism" which I found very interesting.
"THE doctor who sparked the scare over the safety of the MMR vaccine for children changed and misreported results in his research, creating the appearance of a possible link with autism, a Sunday Times investigation has found. "
In the reading that I have done online, all of the concerns about the link between the MMR vaccine and autism come from MOTHERS and not medical professionals. Yes, a mother knows her child best, but they may also be in denial and looking for something or somebody to blame. Just something for you to think about.
7 comments:
It is scary when you hear about the rise in autism and the possible link it has with immunization. A friend of mine, who is going into special education, related to me the same thought that perhaps it's not a rise in autism as it is a rise in diagnosis, as well as a large spectrum of definition. While I think there's that possibility that we may over-immunize, I also think we take the benefits of immunizations for granted and those who don't immunize are possibly reaping the benefits of the majority of people being immunized. Sorry for rambling, and I could totally be wrong on this one.
I agree with Emily. I am pro-immunization.
I'm pro-immunization as well. Thanks for the info.
Some people won't even let their kids play with non-immunized children because of the diseases those kids might be carrying, a position that is credible. We're the generation that didn't lose classmates and siblings to polio, smallpox, measles, etc so we don't know just how good immunizations are...so good choice deciding to go ahead, its definitely the right one!
Amen :) You said exactly what I think.
Stuggled some with this as well but I'm definitely for it after researching some as well and talking to my doctor...one thing I read was so interesting...
Our parents used to fear the disease, we fear the vacine that keeps the disease away...very interesting that the tables have switched.
Thanks Sue...I agree with Emily and Nathan too. A rise in diagnosis, and also, there are concerns about children who can't, for medical reasons, be immunized and their exposure to the diseases if there are other kids around who could be immunized but their parents are choosing not to.
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