On July 19/05, officials in Washington held a news conference declaring that there is no proven link between childhood vaccines and autism.
Having acquaintances who are dead-set against vaccinations because of the autism debate made me take notice of this news. I have vaccinated my child, and have been vaccinated myself, as a youth and with yearly flu shots. Luckily (knock wood) my child appears healthy and well. However, I have heard horror stories from friends regarding their children being diagnosed with autism months after a vaccination.
I am aware that autism is generally recognized around the age of two, when developmental progress becomes more apparent. I am also aware that vaccinations are given around this age as well. So what is the verdict? As the saying goes in science and statistics. ‘correlation does not imply causation’.
The news conference was deemed necessary as there is an increasing number of parents who are convinced the mercury-containing preservative, thimerosal, will cause autism. Thimerosal had been removed from most childhood vaccines in 2001, with flu shots being the exception. However, Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is emphatic that vaccines save lives and protect children.
There appears to be advocates for both sides of the controversy: public health officials on the side of vaccines, and politicians such as Florida’s Dave Weldon against the childhood vaccination. It should be noted that Weldon was a practising physician prior to being elected in 1994, and has sponsored legislation to omit thimerosal from flu shots.
I suppose my one question would be, “Why was thimerosal removed from vaccines in 2001? Was it because there was evidence (re: the link to autism) to support parents’ claims?” As yet, I have not found any answers to these questions.
image from www.momsonamissionforautism.org
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