There’s been an outbreak of measles in the San Diego area, with 11 cases identified and a 12th awaiting confirmation by medical tests. Measles presents at first as flu-like symptoms including fever, but quickly expands to more unusual symptoms like conjunctivitis and an unusual rash. Measles often leads to complications, up to and includig death.
None of the 11 children diagnosed with Measles were immunized against it. This has been attributed to the growing anti-vaccination movement. The anti-vaccination movement largely believes that a preservative used in some vaccines, thimerosal, is linked to an increase in child autism. Original anti-vaccination hypotheses were that the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination was linked to child autism. These studies have been disproven. But, the conflation of worries about thimerosal and the MMR vaccination and autism has already taken root with many fearful parents.
Here’s the truth: there is no causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Thimerosal, which is mercury-based and hella dangerous, was never used to preserve MMR doses. Therefore, you should have every child who can tolerate it innoculated with the MMR vaccine without fear. The three diseases it protects against are all extrememly contagious, and the MMR vaccine has dramatically improved health in the US and the world.
Obviously, you have to trust doctors and the CDC on this information, which might be difficult, since they apparently did let manufacturers preserve some vaccines with a mercury-based preservative. But in truth most of the treatments that were preserved with thimerosal have long since expired (check the table here) and probably should be considered mercury-free.
I’m not saying anything definitive about autism and vaccinations, because what do I know? We were very careful about selecting what immunizations our children would get and when…and my oldest son is autistic anyway. What I am saying is that the potential risk of autism through vaccination has been examined closely by scientists, and the body of opinion is that there is no causation. I’m also saying that the supposed link between MMR and autism is a myth, and an artifact left over from 1 original study with an extremely small sample set and some unacceptable biases introduced into the study has been superseded by larger better designed studies that reached the opposite conclusions. You don’t want to mess around with the measles (Canada recently had a mumps outbreak which seems even worse).
More Information About the Measles Outbreak
Vaccine choices and the San Diego Measles Outbreak
CDC report on San Diego Measles Outbreak
Hey, Joe …
Interest public service alert content on “Measles Outbreak in S.D.” I was not aware that you have a son with autism.
I got thrown overboard into issues of autism (and variations such as autism spectrum disorder, et. al) … and causal links to environmental toxins, as well as the mercury substrate used in old childhood vaccines … when I did SEM/SEO and Marketing Comm for a disabilities resources publisher.
(Program Development Assoc at http://www.disabilityresources.com … B2B supplier of educator, social services agency, training and issues multimedia on EVERYTHING — Physical, Intellectual, Developmental, Hearing/Sight, Psychological disabilities. And curricula. And laws.)
I came across that one questionable study claiming Thimerosol links to the surge in diagnosed autism … specially for children born and/or vaccinated in the late 1980s and early 1990s … were not proven. But I also came across a lot of Blind Man Groping In the Dark (at only one part of the elephant) studies that certainly made a clinical/epidemiological case for mercury crossing the blood-brain barrier in children under the age of 5 … with neurological and autism results.
NONE of which contradicts what you posted. Yes, the old mercury laced vaccines are a thing of the past … for American kids. Our lovely profit-driven Big Pharma Industry is still selling that sh*t to Third World Countries. (Next Wave of Autism Epidemic: China.)
As you prolly know, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. picked up the lance on this issue and became an anti-pharmaceutical killers warrior. RFK seemed to think the case for at least apportioned blame — partly heavy-metal vaccine substrates and partly other environmental toxin exposures in utero (like mercury-laden fish from the Great Lakes, pesticide runoff in drinking water, etc.) — was clear.
Good on you for attacking the New Parent Fear of Vaccines. Cuz I’ve been reading horrifying anecdotes on the return of polio and killer mumps. Stuff we “first” world countries were supposed to have wiped out.
Marie M.