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Autism and Vaccines: A Real Problem?
By: Jon VanZile
March 22, 2007
Autism is rapidly becoming a national epidemic. According to the most
recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1
out of every 150 children in the United States will be diagnosed with
an autism spectrum disorder. The costs of this are staggering.
For years, many people have blamed mass vaccination for the rise in
autism in the United States. Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., is convinced his
grandson became autistic after receiving 9 shots in one day, 7 of
which contained a mercury preservative called thimerosal. Other
researchers have focused on the measles/mumps/rubella combination
vaccine (MMR), which has never contained mercury.
In response to rising parental concerns, in 1997, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) reviewed the mercury content in vaccines.
The FDA found that children were being exposed to levels of mercury in
the first 6 months of life that exceeded Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) standards. Also, the FDA review found no evidence of
harm. This conclusion was echoed in a 2004 Institute of Medicine
report, which found no connection between autism and vaccines
containing mercury. Similarly, most research groups have strongly
rejected a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.
Nevertheless, in response to public pressure, the Public Health
Service Agencies, in conjunction with vaccine manufacturers,
recommended removing mercury from all vaccines in 1999.
Today, mercury has been mostly removed from all childhood vaccines.
Thimersol is still used in adult vaccines, including the flu shot.
Yet questions remain regarding vaccines and autism. Vaccine-safety
advocates, and increasing numbers of researchers, believe that some
children may be vulnerable to autism because of tiny submicroscropic
genetic abnormalities. Is it possible that high doses of vaccines
trigger these children, resulting in autism? Unfortunately, finding a
definitive answer to that question may take years.
Source: NewsMax.com
