Child Vaccines Causing Autism?

[mjaclyn]

I just read on Yahoo about an increasing number of parents who are claiming that because of their religion their children cannot be vaccinated for school. There are certain groups that say preservatives in some of the vaccines are linked to causing Autism in children. Is this true? I have a 1yo daughter and although it will be a few years before school starts for her, I'm worried about getting her vaccinated now. She's already been given some shots over the past few months, and only had a slight reaction to one (she felt sick for a day but didn't have a fever). I just received a reminder notice from my pediatrician about getting her a flu shot and she goes back to the doctor next week. What are your thoughts on this? I'm torn because I dont' want to take any chances with her getting Autism from a vaccine, but at the same time it would be dangerous for such a young child to get the flu. What do I do?!

Is it possible to get vaccines without the preservative that is thought to cause Autism?

[prprincess]

There was a story about this on the local news last week. They claim that it's the mercury in the vaccines that are causing it. So I plan to talk to my pediatrician about which vaccines he uses, and what they contain.

[Goofyjrzgrl]

Many parents who have children with autism are focusing on the vaccines as the cause. However, there is no medical link (as of yet) that connects the two.
Austism is usually not diagnosed until age 1-2 years... the same time that many of these vaccines are given. Doctors do not link the two-but are rather saying that it is only chance that the time of the vaccine- and the time when symptoms begin to occur are coinsiding.
If you are concerned, like many parents are, you could choose to split the vaccines up--- don't do all of them at once... and look into more reliable sources and talking to your doctor instead of depending on sites like yahoo.com for medical information. This is an issue that many parents have to deal with- your doctor will be more than willing to discuss it with you. And also, ask for second opinions- try to talk to more than one doctor before you make a decision. Advances in autistic treatment is becoming greater since more children are being diagnosed every year. Read some books and do some research before you start to get nervous.

[SBETigg]

So very many kids get vaccinated and do not show any signs of autism.

[Strmchsr]

Most of the mercury has been taken out of vaccines in the last few years, so that's really not something to worry about and was probably not the issue to begin with. However, there are other things which can go wrong with vaccine. A vaccine overwhelms a child's immune and neurological system. Most children are able to deal with this. Some are not. For those who aren't this allergic reaction can lead to complications, with autism among them. Diabetes is another. While most studies in the United States ignore potential complications or try to uphold the status quo research being done in Europe, especially, has shown a fairly strong link between vaccines and other problems.

mjaclyn, the mild reaction you described with your daughter is normal and really shouldn't be a cause for concern. When my son got his first round of shots he ran a high fever and literally screamed for 3 days as if in extreme pain. After lots of research and talks with his doctor we're now pretty sure that this reaction is what caused his diabetes. This extreme reaction caused his immune system to get out of whack, and attack his own body. Even after the one round he shows very, very mild symptoms of autism (like not always reacting well to outside stimuli). Had we given him a second round, it probably would have gone full blown. As it is, we deal with the diabetes. We also decided not to vaccinate our youngest because chances are if one has this kind of reaction, the second will, too.

Vaccinations are a gamble. The overwhelming probability is that your child will be fine, but that is not guaranteed. I think the chances for you are even higher because your daughter had 1 round without a severe reaction. Just do lots of research and make the decision best for you. I think vaccinations are a good thing, most of the time, but they damaged my child so I certainly want to caution others about the potential danger.

[DVC2004]

My oldest is high functioning autistic. He was a very normal baby, hit all his milestones. It was when he was a toddler we began to notice signs. But he has come along way and is overall a pretty normal kid now.

For several years now some have theorized vaccines may be a possible cause. I really don't know. Both of my children were immunized and only one has the issues. Really I don't focus on the cause at this point, just how to proceed in the best interest of my son. We may never know. Thankfully he is doing very well. I heard 1 in 156 kids are diagnosed as autistic. Is it really an increase or is it something doctors are now more aware of nowadays therefor explaining the increase in diagnosis.

All this being said, if you choose not to immunize you will not be able to send your child to school. Schools require immunization records and immunizations to be complete before allowing your child to attend. So right now unless you are planning to home school parents really don't have many options.

[DVC2004]

So very many kids get vaccinated and do not show any signs of autism.

Very true.

[mttafire]

The dangers of NOT getting vaccinated FAR outweigh any (possible) danger of getting one.
The media imho..Has caused unneeded concern. As for us, We have D.S. (2.4) and D.D. (4 weeks old) We have and WILL continue to protect them and get proper vaccinations.

[prprincess]

Most of the mercury has been taken out of vaccines in the last few years, so that's really not something to worry about and was probably not the issue to begin with.

And I ask myself why I continue to watch our local news, let alone, take heed in what they say???? Thanks for the informative post.

[Mickey'sGirl]

I say beware of the media. It seems that its purpose of late is to cause a certain amount of panic in us! Jenny McCarthy's new book seems to have sparked additional interest in this theory as well.

Both of my children are autistic -- DS9 has Aspergers, and DS3 has ASD. Both were vaccinated. Given the opportunity to go back and do it all again, I would have them both vaccinated.

There has been debate forever concerning vaccines -- I read one article warning us of the "chip" that is being injected at the time so that Big Brother can track us or test us easily. The major true concern that I would have would be the mercury that was once contained in the serums as Chris said. The mercury would not cause the issue, but is thought to be able to trigger any pre-dispostition already there.

I caution you all to speak with your doctor about the potential risks of using vaccines in your child -- not just for "causing autism" or contributing to other health factors. I also encourage you to read solid facts in journals or health department literature -- don't count on the Web as your only research tool.

In the end, only you can decide what is best for you and your child. In Ontario, your child can not attend school unless he or she is vaccinated. Our children were, and are regularly vaccinated -- but their schedule is spaced so that they are not receiving great globs of stuff all at the same time.

[bjlaac]

Don't limit yourself to just researching whether Mercury might be included or not. Do thorough research and you will find lots of things to consider.

For example, there are two choices for polio vaccines, active and inactive. The active version is easier for the medical profession to logistically handle and administer, but has caused children to actually contract polio because it is a live virus. It also can casue non vaccinated children to be infected with polio if they come in contact with their waste. If you check recent yahoo news articles you will see an outbreak in africa causing many children to contract polio. The doctors will say its worth all the risks, but look into the eyes of yuor child and think how you would feel giving him/her an active polio virus?. The non active is much more safer, but to be fair there are risks also.

Other vaccines are medical money makers and they only protect for one year or less.

Do the research and you will see lots of reasons that MOST vaccines are not necessary.

[mjaclyn]

Just to clear this up - I don't depend on Yahoo.com for medical advice. It was just a news story that caught my attention because my DD has been immunized before and is scheduled for another one next week. I do a lot of research and plan to speak to my pediatrician about my concerns. I started this thread to see what others had to say on the subject.

[kakn7294]

I agree that there are thousands of kids who are vaccinated every year with no long term ill effects. Both of my DD's have received their vaccinations. I feel that it's much safer to have a child vaccinated than suffer the illnesses and potential complications - many of which I see now in my nursing career because my patients sometimes didn't get their shots as a child and had certain diseases that lead to complications later in life. I'm actually good example of that myself - because I had not yet been vaccinated, I got the measles for my first birthday (some present, huh?) and as a result, I am nearly deaf in my right ear. Given a choice, I'd much rather have suffered the vaccination and been able to have full hearing. I feel the benefits of vaccinations far outweigh the risks. I strongly feel that the rise in autism cases has more to do with improvements being able to diagnose children far better than in the past rather than anything to do with vaccinations. However, you must do your research and decide what is best for you and your children. Remember too, that your children will most likely be required to have certain vaccinations to enter school and not having them would require you to either scramble to catch them up on their shots or provide proof of religious reasons why they didn't get them (which may result in a moral dilemma).

[Mickey'sGirl]

Sorry mjaclyn! I didn't mean to imply that you did -- I just wanted to throw that caution out there. I have several friends -- and a mother who count on the media as their main source of information. A good parent always questions if you ask me.

[kakn7294]

You know, I just thought of something kinda funny after I posted here. I thought of the flu shot thread also running here and I posted on there yesterday. I'm all for childhood vaccinations, but I refuse to get a flu shot...

[SBETigg]

It's an interesting topic. It's so scary being a parent, isn't it? There's just so much information to sort out. I have teens and I thought I was done with worrying over the immunization questions, but now there are new vaccines for this age group, too, with new sets of worries. So much to consider, always. Better to bring it up and ask questions than to go through it all without any information, right?

[mjaclyn]

Sorry mjaclyn! I didn't mean to imply that you did -- I just wanted to throw that caution out there. I have several friends -- and a mother who count on the media as their main source of information. A good parent always questions if you ask me.

No problem! I definitely agree with you!

[merlinmagic4]

It's a personal decision but one that affects more than your child. Just do your research (I'm sure you will). I was worried about vaccinating my 18 month old but I knew I had to do it. Actually , we weren't sure we could give him the MMR or Varicella because they are live vaccines and my older son is immune suppressed. He did get them, thank goodness.

I have also worried about tv viewing, which they are also linking to autism but we are watching Sesame Street almost every day now!

Autism is tough and I think people are desperate for answers. I know I would be.

[Scrod]

There are vaccines for most immunizations that are thimerosal-free (that is the preservative that contains mercury). You can ask your Dr. to use those to give you more peace of mind. The FDA has a list of all the common childhood immunizations and which ones contain mercury here

HTH

[mermaidmarian]

It's an interesting topic. It's so scary being a parent, isn't it? There's just so much information to sort out. I have teens and I thought I was done with worrying over the immunization questions, but now there are new vaccines for this age group, too, with new sets of worries. So much to consider, always. Better to bring it up and ask questions than to go through it all without any information, right?

Absolutely. We want the decisions to be easy, but they never ever are.

One aspect of this discussion I think is often lost is that few of us who are making vaccine decisions for our children are old enough to remember when the lack of vaccine made the risks that children would not survive childhood much greater than they are today.

Do I think that there are risks associated with vaccine? Yes. Do I want to be more informed and have ongoing research to establish what connections and correlations may exist between common vaccines and contemporary disorders on the rise, such as autism spectrum and ADHD. Certainly.

Good decisions are made in balance of risk and benefit. Right now, given what we know, I think the benefit of vaxing outweighs the risk.