World Autism Day

The month of April celebrates World Autism Day, as well as African Vaccination Week, so it was a given that our article this month should address one of the most controversial topics in the medical industry:  Is Autism linked to child vaccinations?

This controversy dates decades back to 1998 when British researchers put forward a paper linking the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine to Autism.  Although the study only involved 12 children, it received a lot of attention and doctors started taking a very close look at the possible connection by doing their own research.  At least 12 follow up studies were done but none found any evidence linking the MMR vaccine to Autism.  The medical journal that published the initial 1998 findings retracted their article after the study was investigated, but the seed had been sown.

Fears soon shifted from MMR to a substance called Thimerosal which is a substance used in some children’s vaccines.  This substance prevents the growth of fungus and bacteria in vaccines but also contains Mercury which is very harmful to the human brain and kidneys at high levels.  Again, there was no evidence to substantiate that the Thimerosal could be linked to Autism, but it was duly removed from most children’s vaccines by 2001.  Another study was then conducted on children who had received vaccinations containing it, and children who’d received vaccinations that didn’t contain it – no link was found.

Researchers also looked at all the vaccines required by a child before the age of two as people feared that getting all those injections so early in life could lead to the development of Autism.  Again, no conclusive evidence was found to substantiate this.  More recently a brand new study in Denmark involving over half a million children has just been published and it has been reiterated that no risk of increased autism has been found among kids who received the MMR (measles) vaccine.

The United States has already seen 6 measles outbreaks during January and February of this year, so it’s no wonder that The World Health Organisation has declared non-vaccination to be one of the 10 greatest threats to public health…