Vaccines and Autism

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“To date there is no definite, scientific proof that any vaccine or combination of vaccines can cause autism. It’s important to know that vaccines actually help the immune system to defend the body.” – The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 
When typing “autism and vaccines” into an Internet search engine, the results can seem quite contradictory. The host of results leads many parents asking the question, do vaccines cause autism? In answering this question, it is important for the public to not be misled by lawyers, journalists, celebrities, and politicians, but rather seek answers based upon scientific studies. Amidst hundreds of epidemiological and biological studies that have showed no link between autism and vaccines, it is time to finally dispel the myth that vaccines cause autism.

What is Autism? According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities caused by a problem in the brain. This disorder affects a child’s behavior, as well as social and communication skills. Currently, there is no cure for ASDs, however, early and continuous surveillance helps ensure that children receive proper access to services as soon as possible.







Scientific studies are underway in order to determine the cause for autism. Ongoing studies funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institutes of Health, are studying the possible factors that are responsible for autism.

For more information on Autism Spectrum Disorders Visit: http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/Autism.cfm


http://www.autismpda.org/images/autism_awareness_logo.jpg
Wakefield Studies linking MMR Vaccine and Autism was Fraudulent:

In 1998 Andrew Wakefield’s findings claiming that the MMR vaccine was linked to autism was published in the prestigious medical journal, Lancet. Wakefield stated that the MMR vaccine caused intestinal inflammation, which caused proteins to be released into the bloodstream. He believed that the proteins eventually caused damage to the brain, leading to the development of autism.


http://www.intheworldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/andrew-wakefield.jpg
When Wakefield’s experiment was repeated with a larger population, no conclusions to support Wakefield’s study were found. Instead, it was determined that Wakefield’s studies were greatly flawed. In response to these flaws, the Lancet, has fully retracted Wakefield’s paper and stated there is no evidence that the MMR vaccine increased the likelihood of autism. 

Why was it flawed?
Wakefield should have studied the incidence of autism in BOTH vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Instead, he only looked at a single population of children, those that were vaccinated. Signs of autism are usually described around the same age as when the vaccine is administered, therefore, in order to determine if the MMR vaccine caused autism, the incidence of autism in both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations was necessary in order to have conclusive evidence.

Wakefield’s hypothesis stated that autism is a consequence of intestinal inflammation resulting from the administration of the MMR vaccine. However, in Wakefield’s studies, the intestinal symptoms were documented AFTER, not before, the symptoms of autism were already expressed in the children.

http://www.chop.edu/service/vaccine-education-center/hot-topics/autism.html#wakefield







“No Scientific Link Between Childhood Vaccines and Autism, Reviews Show.”
Many other studies besides Wakefield’s have also falsely linked vaccines and autism. The following looks at three main arguments and shows how epidemiological and biological studies refute these claims, and show no scientific link between childhood vaccines and autism.      














Clin Infect Dis. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 July 22.
Published in final edited form as:






















The table above demonstrates that multiple other studies have been conducted and have failed to link autism and vaccines due to thimerosal. Thimerosal has been removed from all childhood vaccines, however, anti-vaccine advocates now believe that vaccines may overwhelm the immune system. This theory has been scientifically refuted as well
  •  3rd refute: Simultaneous vaccines overwhelm the immune system
    • Children’s immune systems routinely handle much more than the small amounts of material than contained in the vaccine.
    • Therefore, a newborn’s immune system will be far more challenged by natural bacteria and viruses that surround them, than what is contained in a vaccine. 
    • Vaccines today have fewer components than ever before.
    • Overall, the components of vaccines have decreased the components contained, however, autism is on the rise.
    • Important References: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/autismfactsforparents.pdf http://www.aap.org/immunization/families/overwhelm.pdf
Autism Rumors Have Taken a Toll
The autism rumors are having an affect on the health of the public. Although there is no scientific link between autism and vaccines, which has been shown through multiple studies, the fear of vaccines has remained with parents. Now, more children are being left unvaccinated, resulting in outbreaks of many vaccine-preventable diseases.
New reports demonstrate that vaccination rates for children with health insurance have been on the decline. The report states that this is linked to many people’s fears of vaccination being linked to autism. The article states that on the other hand, vaccination rates for children on Medicaid are on the rise.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance states there is a need for change, and children with health insurance need to get vaccinated. It is reported that children with health insurance receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) fell from 93.5% in 2008 to 90.6% in 2009.
http://healthland.time.com/2010/11/04/vaccination-rates-drop-in-wealthier-kids-the-autism-rumors-take-a-toll
Court Ruling: Vaccines are not to blame for Autism:










Vaccines are not to blame for autism. This was the ruling made in the Washington federal court in response to the thousands of families that wanted to win compensation.
Although sympathy was expressed for the families, the court stated that there was little, if any, evidence in support of a link between vaccination and autism. It was stated that the evidence was “weak, contradictory, and unpersuasive.”
This decision is an important step forward in demonstrating to the general public that there is no connection between vaccines and autism because the ruling was made from a court, instead of from the scientific community. In many ways, this offers reassurance to many parents that have concerns about vaccinating babies because of the anti-vaccine movement. With this movement gaining more advocates, many vaccine preventable diseases, such as measles, are on the rise.
Ultimately, the court ruling was noted as a great day for science. The Department of Health and Human Services issued the following statement, “Hopefully, the determination by the special masters will help reassure parents that vaccines do not cause autism."

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29160138/18424776



Current Autism Studies:
Gene Associated With Autism May Alter How Brain Functions
Important research concerning autism has shown that a genetic variant causes a disconnect between the frontal portion of the brain and the rest of the brain. This disconnection has an impact primarily on language development.
It is interesting that about one third of all people carry the CNTNAP2 gene that is responsible for increasing the risk of autism. Research conducted demonstrated that whether the children had autism or not, if the CNTNAP2 gene was present, there was heightened activity in the frontal portion of the brain when performing certain tasks or activities. Those without the gene, had more activity throughout the brain, especially on the left portion of the brain, which is mostly responsible for language.
Researchers hope that this variant gene will lead to new discoveries concerning autism. Previous studies conducted have demonstrated that there are certain genes linked with autism, but this is the first study to demonstrate that there is an actual difference in brain function due to a gene.

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/645382.html


Autism Risk Gene May Generate a Tangle of Wiring the Brain
Add caption“The new findings lend support to the ‘intense world’ theory of autism, which has posited that patterns of brain circuitry that result in excessive functioning in some regions may lead to extremes in attention and perception, which can produce both the deficits — and the sometimes extraordinary intellectual talents — that characterize some people with autism.” – Time Magazine
Research has shown that a gene named CNTNAP2 appears in about one third of people that are an increased risk for developing autism. An additional study, conducted by Science Translational Medicine, also concluded that this gene causes changes in the frontal lobe of the brain, which could be an important finding in linking the learning and language difficulties that are apparent with autism.
The gene is known to localize in the frontal portion of the brain during development. The location of the gene is in areas where learning and language develop. In order to understand the gene’s effect, 32 kids between the ages 11 and 13, some autistic and some not, were given a game that was designed to stimulate the specific frontal region of the brain. 
The study demonstrated that it did not matter if the children had autism or not, but the children with the CNTNAP2 gene had more activity in the frontal region of the brain. The children that were not a risk for this gene had more activity throughout the brain, and specifically had activity in the left side of the brain (responsible for language). In other words, kids with the gene even if they did not have autism, had extra activity in the area of the frontal lobe.
Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/11/04/autism-risk-gene-may-generate-a-tangle-of-wiring-the-brain/






Parents Play a Key Role in Vaccination. Saturday, April 23rd was the official start of Nation Infant Immunization Week. Read this article to find out more about this annual campaign!