I recently read an article written by a contributor to Discovery: Fit and Health that intelligently summarizes and debunks the deadly myth that vaccines can cause autism. The article was written by a woman named Katie Lambert, who holds an English degree from the University of Georgia. Far from the person you would expect to be contributing to a medical column, but this just proves that all it takes to effectively analyze a subject is smart research and the effective use of true critical thinking.
Originally people thought that increased rates of autism and the link to vaccines could be attributed to a preservative used in most vaccines called Thimerosal, which is known to have trace amounts of toxic mercury. There is much wrong with this argument, as the author points out. Thimerosal contains less than 1 microgram (or one millionth of a gram) of mercury. So little it would have no impact on the human body. Secondly, Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, which is not the same as the methylmercury, the kind of mercury that can bioaccumulate and cause poisoning. Furthermore, Thimerosal was removed from all vaccines other than the flu vaccine after re-evaluation of the chemical and upon further request you can receive a flu vaccine without Thimerosal. Even with the removal of Thimerosal, autism rates continued to rise. Yet people still make the argument that Thimerosal is the cause of rising autism rates.
One of the main catalysts that accelerated the growing alarm that vaccines can cause autism was a study conducted in 1998 by Dr. Andrew Wakefield. The study concluded that soon after receiving the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) some children developed advanced autism. Lambert’s article explained how, not only was Wakefield’s study conducted on just 12 children, but after an investigation, it was found that Dr. Wakefield “altered and falsified” his data. The only reason that the study has such a profound effect on the public was because it was an easy study for people to understand, due to its simple nature. It was also published in one of the most prestigious medical science journals.
Finally, Lambert’s article explains the dangers of not being vaccinated. Vaccines are arguably one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time. Due to vaccinations, deadly diseases such as polio, smallpox, pertussis, and diphtheria, have been practically eliminated. What people don’t realize is that not so long ago, it was not uncommon to know someone on your block who died or was disabled from one such sickness. Because of this the misleading fear that vaccines cause autism, parents are no longer vaccinating their children, subsequently herd immunity is dropping and these deadly diseases are on the rise.
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