Vaccines have been around for hundreds of years now, allowing humans to increase life expectancy tremendously. Vaccines have been a great contribution to today’s science and human health, but vaccines have also brought fourth numerous concerns for many parents. One of the most controversial debates that society is currently facing is whether there is link between vaccines and autism. To distinguish if there is a link between vaccines and autism a closer look must be taken within the research of both. A vaccine is an injected or orally administered substance that contains live(attenuated) or killed pathogens to activate the production of antibodies in the body to produce immunity against a disease or different types of diseases. (Red) Vaccines are composed of different molecules and ingredients, one of them being Thimerosal, an organic mercury compound. (blue) The use of Thimerosal in vaccines have associated the link between vaccines and autism. Autism or Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological development disorder that can affect an individual’s behavior, communications and social skills. (green) The concept of vaccines has existed around the world for hundreds of years. One of the first methods of vaccinations was known as variolation. (purple). Variolation was popular in China as …show more content…
well as other countries in the middles east during the 10th century. Asians and middle eastern people collected samples of dry tissues from the scabs of smallpox survivors and would put it into healthy people bodies(purple), this early method of vaccination, protected the individuals from getting the smallpox disease. The smallpox disease is a transmittable disease that causes lesions in the body and mouth. This disease spreads very quickly since its airborne and can be life threatening. ( yellow) Throughout the 18th century people were still dying from the smallpox. Every year a mass of 400,000 people would die from smallpox in Europe and one third of the population loss their vision. ( purple). In 1796 Edward Jenner, a physician, became the godfather of vaccinations. ( purple). His discovery of vaccines was brought to light after Jenner purposely implanted or inoculated the disease of cowpox to an 8-year-old boy, the inoculation resulted in stimulating a resistance to smallpox, the young boy did not contract the virus and had built the proper immunity to fight of the disease. Edward Jenner’s discovery became one of the most import step to medical science. Jenner’s astonishing finding on vaccines opened the doors to the discovery of numerous types of vaccinations that have help the world eradicate a considerable number of deadly viruses and bacteria. In the modern era vaccinations have develop immensely. The creation of vaccines is now more complex, and sophisticated. Two types of pathogens (infecting organism) have been created to help the human body developed an immunity against different types of diseases; an attenuated pathogen and an inactive pathogen. (purple) A attenuated pathogen is a weakened strain of a bacteria or virus and an inactive pathogen is a killed bacteria or virus(black). These pathogens allow the vaccine to work, but to understand how vaccines work, the immune system functions must be understood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when foreign antigens, such as viruses or bacteria, invade the body, they attack and multiple. The incursion is called an infection, this infection is the causation of the disease. (CDC Wed) The immune system works by giving the body a defense mechanism that could fight different types of viruses and bacteria after it enters the body. After the body becomes vaccinate the antibodies are able to fight off infections because the vaccine provides a replica of the infection, allowing the body to recognize it and get rid of it. (purple). The safety of vaccines is also very import. Vaccines are tested and evaluated before it is recommended for public use. (pink). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures the safety and quality of vaccinations by using rigorous testing’s and clinicals trials. It can take years for a vaccine to become license and certificate for public use. (pink) Once the vaccine becomes certified the CDC and FDA closely monitored every batch of vaccines distributed. ( pink) Immunization research have proven that vaccines have expended the lifespan of millions of individuals on earth. Vaccines have eradicated several diseases including smallpox and Polio. (green)(green). Vaccines can protect the human body against 16 different contagious infections, but boosters or multiple doses of the vaccine must be given multiple time, for vaccines to have long lasting protection against transmittable diseases. (orange) Evidences shows that when a community is 95 % vaccinate, the community provides protection for newborn babies who are too young to vaccine, as well as for those individual with compromised immune system that cannot get vaccinated. It provides a threshold by limiting a disease to spread, this is known as herd immunity. ( light blue) Like any chemically man-made substances vaccines can create some complications. The typical side effect of vaccines includes; a mild fever, pain, swelling or redness on the injection site, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pains. ( brown) In rare cases vaccines have demonstrated serious side effects. Studies shows that 1 or 2 individuals may experience a severe reaction from the vaccines, but the chances of this happening are 1 in a million of the doses given. (brown) Many ingredients are use in the production of vaccines. Some substances found in a vaccine are; Aluminum, antibiotics, egg protein, formaldehyde (most of it gets removed before the vaccine gets packaged), Monosodium glutamate, and Thimerosal. These substances are carefully examining for quality and safety. (o yellow) Most vaccines contain these ingredients. Thimerosal, one of the most common components in vaccines and, mainly used in the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine have cause major controversy. Thimerosal is a mercury preservative that is used for the prevention of bacterial build-up in vaccines vials. (Weber) This preservative has helped to prevent staph infections in patients from contaminated vials. Thimerosal usage in vaccines has alarmed many parents because after all, mercury is a substance that if used in large amounts can affect human’s health. (Weber). This mercury containing substance has been the primary culprit to link vaccines and autism. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopment disorder that can be described by repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior that can affect social and communication interactions. (Autism Spectrum) Autism can range from mild to severe and it can be diagnosed as young as eighteen-month-old. Autism is diagnosed by using questionnaires and others screening tools to obtain information about a child’s development and behavior. Some of the symptoms associated with autism are; poor eye contact, abnormal interest, lack of social responsiveness, and inability to communicate correctly for his or her age group. (Autism Spectrum) Out of the many studies conducted one Researcher’s hypothesis claimed the correlation between the two to be positive. In 1998 Andrew Wakefield conducted a research on vaccines and autism. (Foster)(Ortiz) In this research Wakefield concluded that after the children were exposure to the MMR vaccines they had experienced neurological problems. Nine of the neurological problems were associated with autism. Wakefield’s alleged research was published on The Lancet a reputable, peer-reviewed general medical journal. However, in 2010 Wakefield’s paper was retracted from The Lancet (Egerton). Andrew Wakefield’s hypothesis ignited the debate between vaccines and autism. (Foster)(Ortiz) The findings on Wakefield’s research were so astonishing that an epidemiological study was conducted to prove Andrews Wakefield’s finding, but in the end his study could not be replicated. (Taylor et al) In 2004, the Immunization Safety Review Committee concluded that “the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal containing vaccines and autism.” (Institute of Medicine) Many other studies were conducted, but one of the most recognized studies was conducted by The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre and Department of Epidemiology Research where they lead a population-based study of all the children born in Demark between 1990 until 1996. (Hviid et al) In this study both department compared children vaccinated with vaccines containing thimerosal and children vaccinate with a thimerosal free vaccination. (Hviid et al) the study results were that, During 2 986 654 person-years, they identified 440 autism cases and 787 cases of other autistic-spectrum disorders.
The risk of autism and other autistic-spectrum disorders did not differ significantly between children vaccinated with thimerosal-containing vaccine and children vaccinated with thimerosal-free vaccine (RR, 0.85 [95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60-1.20] for autism; RR, 1.12 [95% CI, 0.88-1.43] for other autistic-spectrum disorders). Furthermore, we found no evidence of a dose-response association (increase in RR per 25 microg of ethyl mercury, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.90-1.06] for autism and 1.03 [95% CI, 0.98-1.09] for other autistic-spectrum disorders). (Hviid et
al) The research at The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre and Department of Epidemiology Research center state that “the results do not support a causal relationship between childhood vaccination with thimerosal-containing vaccines and development of autistic-spectrum disorders.” (Hviid et al) After these study another thirteen studies were conducted and they result demonstrated the same results, there is no correlation between vaccines and autism. (“Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism”) As a safety precaution, between 1999 an 2001, the mercury ingredient, thimerosal, got eliminated from all childhood vaccines, except for the influenza vaccine (“Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism”) However, Parents have the option to request thimerosal free flu vaccinations for their children. (“Vaccines Safety”)
Haertlein’s article will be particularly useful for my research because it goes into great detail about the Vaccine Court and provides multiple court cases to use as resources later. Even more, it offers definitions of terms that could be useful. She uses a standard argument, scientific evidence, to back up her statement. Haertlein’s article has made me even more excited to further study the controversy between vaccinations and autism.
Every year, tens of thousands Americans die from the seasonal flu alone. This alarming statistic is what led the United States government to urge the country to vaccinate themselves, as well as their children every November, when the flu season is fast approaching. Though countless Americans do follow the government’s plea, many others insist that these vaccines distributed every year (as well as other year-long vaccines) contain an abnormally high amount of thimerosal, (a mercury-based chemical in vaccines designed to prevent the growth of bacteria) which could eventually lead to autism. This generation of fear is what has led many concerned parents to refuse to vaccinate their children, who seem to be the most vulnerable to this disease. However, can we really trust a rumor to fuel our doubts of America’s struggle to fight disease among our people? Can we discontinue our trust in the health department because of paranoia? No. Even if autism may be an effect of these vaccines, it is our duty, our responsibility to protect the good of the public by preventing an outbreak of this infl...
Getting vaccinated dates back as far as people can remember. In an article called “Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination” by Stefan Riedel, he states that during the era of 430 BC smallpox had made its big debut and everyone knew that whomever had smallpox became immune to the disease once they got over the sickness. Before they found a vaccination that could cure smallpox, they would just do the best to inoculate it. Edward Jenner was the one who found a vaccination for smallpox. According to Riedel, Jenner found a dairymaid who had cowpox on her body and use some of those lesions and inoculated a little boy. After about a week the little boy just felt some discomfort and a loss of appetite. Later on that year, Jenner incolulsted
Edward Jenner invented a method to protect against smallpox in the late 1700s. The method involved taking substances from an open wound of someone with small-pox or cow-pox and injecting it into another person’s skin, also called “arm-to-arm inoculation”. The earliest actual documented examples of vaccination date all the way back to the tenth century in China (Lombard, “A brief history of vaccines and vaccinations”). The mention of early vaccination was taken note of by a French scholar, Henri Husson, written in one of his journals (Dictionaire des sciences médicale). The Ottoman Empire Turks also discovered a method of immunization a few centuries later. Lady Montagu of Great Britain, a famous writer and wife of the English ambassador of Istanbul, between 1716 -1718, came across the Turkish vaccine for small-pox. After surviving as a child with small-pox, she insisted her son be vaccinated (Henricy, “Letters of the Right Honourable Lady Wortley Montagu”). When she returned to England, she continued to publicize the Turkish tradition of immunization and spread their methods to the rest of her country. She also had all family members also vaccinated. Immunization was soon adopted in England, nearly 50 years before Jenner's smallpox vaccine in 1796 (Sharp, “Anti-vaccinationists past and present”). Edward Jenner’s target for smallpox was to eradicate it. And later by the 1940s, knowledge of the science behind vaccines had developed and soon reached the point where across-the-board vaccine production was a goal that was possible and where serious disease control efforts could start. Vaccines for many dangerous diseases, including ones protecting against pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus were underway into production. ...
Vaccines are one of modern medicine 's game-changing breakthroughs, but they have been around for hundreds of years earlier in primitive forms. Dating back to medieval times, the first precursor to modern vaccination occurred in China around the tenth century. (2) Known as variolation or inoculation, the method was used to prevent smallpox that plagued Europe and Asia. (2) Chinese doctors found that when healthy people were exposed to smallpox scab tissue, they were less likely to get infected or got a milder, less dangerous case. (2) The most common form of inoculation in China was to crush smallpox scabs into powder and then breathe it through the nose.(2) Because smallpox was such a destructive disease, in the late 1700 's, George Washington ordered mandatory inoculation for troops who hadn 't survived smallpox before. (2) Also in the late 1700 's, Edward Jenner
Children diagnosed with a Developmental Language Disorder at a young age benefit from early intervention. The earlier a child is able to receive treatment, the more effective the treatment will be. This article explains how most children diagnosed with autism earlier than 3 years of age retain that diagnosis when they turn 3. This diagnosis is critical because it can influence how the child receives early intervention. The goal of this study is to determine how accurately a child could be diagnosed with autism and retain that diagnosis 1 year later. The study also seeks to determine characteristics that children with autism demonstrate under the age of 3.
There are also many cases where many parents strongly believe that some vaccines may have caused autism in their children. The reason being that many parents noticed shortly after their child was vaccinated they noticed symptoms like loss of language abilities and they suddenly stopped interacting with people. Also, the vaccines used to treat measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) are linked to many autism cases. Vaccines that contain thimerosal, an organic compound that contains mercury, have also been suspected to cause autism in children. Thimerosal has been removed from most vaccines because of its linkage to autism.
Understanding autism, which is professionally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, otherwise known as (ADS) can be a difficult task, especially for someone who is not trained in helping persons with disabilities. The first person to discover autism was a child psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943. He names the spectrum disorder after the Greek word autos, meaning of or for oneself, due to the way the child display social avoidance. Many doctors’ believed in the past that autism was caused by the way the mother not caring for her child properly or ignoring him or her. There was also a time when it was thought to be caused by certain environmental stresses that cause neurological issues within the brain. Autism is one of the most misunderstood
In recent years, the correlation between vaccines and autism has become the subject of much debate. On one side, there are the anti-vaccinators, or anti-vaccers. On the other, there’s pretty much everyone else. Despite the fact that the anti-vaccination movement has little base in scientific fact, their campaign to end early infanthood vaccinations rages on. While doctors and scientists try desperately to make parents look at the research studies, vaccination rates continue to fall. But, even in these dark times, there is still hope that scientific fact will prevail and defeat the anti-vaccination fear mongers who have caused many children to fall ill and even die because their parents did not properly vaccinate them. This is one of the most saddening scientific failures of the twenty-first century. A failure to educate the public properly has resulted in child, even infant, fatalities. The anti-vaccination movement was started based on falsified data and continues only because of a lack of knowledge and proper education of the general public.
How would you feel if your child was to catch a deadly disease at school from another student that had not been vaccinated. For many years, vaccinations have been forced unto babies and smaller children to help prevent a future epidemic such as the ones from many centuries ago. Later within the years after vaccinations seem to have been proven effective and slightly popular, they became mandatory for a student to be vaccinated before being able to enroll into a school. Most parents went along with the new rule ,but there were still many parents that strongly disagreed and felt that it violated their liberty to make decisions for their child 's lives. I personally believe that vaccinations should be forced among students for reason such as: combat deadly diseases, suppress
There have been many issues surrounding vaccinations all around the world. Vaccines are made with dangerous toxins that can cause disorders in many different people. Dr. Joseph says that almost all vaccines are made with immune adjuvant, which causes the immune system to react in a harmful way (qtd. in Garcia). Some serious side effects of the immune adjuvant include lowering of intellectual and sexual abilities and death in serious cases (Garcia). Also, in a recent study Mark Geier and David Geier found that thimerosal in vaccines is linked to neurodevelopment disorders, such as autism. They found...
Vaccines against diphtheria, polio, pertussis, measles, mumps and rubella, and more recent additions of hepatitis B and chicken pox, have given humans powerful immune guards to ward off unwelcome sickness. And thanks to state laws that require vaccinations for kids enrolling in kindergarten, the U.S. presently enjoys the highest immunization rate ever at 77%. Yet bubbling beneath these national numbers is the question about vaccine safety. Driven by claims that vaccinations can be associated with autism, increasing number of parents are raising questions about whether vaccines are in fact harmful to children, instead of helpful (Park, 2008).
The Anti-Vax Issue According to World Book Advanced Encyclopedia, immunization is defined as the process of protecting the body against disease by means of vaccines or serums (Hinman). While medical science backs up the efficiency and necessity of vaccines, within the past decade, a rise in parents disbelieving the medical community and neglecting to immunize their children has occurred. This “fear of vaccines” is nothing new, but with the ever-increasing safety of vaccines, the benefits of inoculation far outweigh the risks. Parents who refuse to vaccinate, or anti-vaxxers, put more than their children’s lives on the line, but also risk the safety of the whole community. Because vaccines are essential to protecting individuals and communities
Recently the number of parents who are intentionally delaying their children’s general vaccinations is increasing. The controversy that is causing the number of delayed vaccinations to go up is based on the fact that there are negative articles connecting them to autism and other similar diseases. When parents are researching vaccinations and they read those negative articles, those articles make them believe that vaccines cause autism. Vaccines are important because they protect humans from preventable diseases and getting them could save human lives. Vaccines are important throughout life no matter what some research suggests. Parents are now more likely to intentionally delay vaccines because of negative press, even though vaccines
The third and most essential reason that the United States should enforce national inoculation pertains to the concept that vaccines can support not only individual immunity, but also herd immunity to protect those who are medically incompatible with vaccines. A prevailing argument that pro-volunteer individuals frequently make is that vaccines have the potential to be harmful to individuals; a primary motive behind this pertains to an alleged correlation that exists between thimerosal, a component of vaccines, and countless disorders including autism (Benjamin, 2003). According to Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center, “When you take a look at the ever-increasing numbers of doses of vaccines babies have received over the past two decades and you see this corresponding rise in chronic disease and disability in our children, it is out of control” (Benjamin, 2003). Many speculated that the mercury contained within the thimerosal was to blame for this.