Pregnancy & Parenting

Has anyone heard of this link before? My Manager has a son with autism now and he thinks it's from his vaccination shots. I've read a little about the studies and I'm starting to become convinced that autism is caused from this. There is just way too much coincidence between kids getting shots and then weeks later developing symptoms of autism and other learning disorders.

So what are we supposed to do, not get our babies vaccinated? Are there vaccinations that don't cause this. I'm new to this subject so any thoughts and replies are appreciated. Thanks.

Original Post by santonacci:

Original Post by anoxa:

Im not sure about the autism thing but gosh why do the shots have to be so close together and so many at once? I dunno...

I think a lot of it has to do with CDC and governmental regulations as to what children are required to have in order to attend public schools. There are so many diseases that "require" immunization before the age of 5 or 6 (when kids enter kindergarten), that they can only get them in if they're given close together and in multiple shots at a time.

Now, parents aren't forced to immunize their kids (particularly if it's against their beliefs), but accessibility to public schools will be limited because of it, and the CDC will argue "public safety" and liability so it's not a discrimination issue.

This is a myth. As a parent yu do not have to immunize your childern' to attend day care or public schools.  You can claim an exemption based on religous beliefs.  In the state of NC this is the only vaccination exemption that can be claimed.

Also if a daycare will not take your child because you have chosen not to vaccinate or to delay vaccinations this is a red flag that this child care provider is not a good match for your family. 

 

Denise

It is very important that parents do their research. Much of the information comes directly from the CDC and from the vaccine manufactures themselves.  Ask for the vaccine inserts to read the ingredients.  Its also good to look at the Epidemiology data on the CDC website. 

 

 

Original Post by weddingmama:

This is a myth. As a parent yu do not have to immunize your childern' to attend day care or public schools.  

 Not in my experience - the daycare we used a few years ago before our kids were school age would not enroll un-immunized children.  And while we did eventually find them to not be a good match, it was for reasons other than immunizations - we don't have a problem with immunizing our kids.

Original Post by santonacci:

Original Post by weddingmama:

This is a myth. As a parent yu do not have to immunize your childern' to attend day care or public schools.  

 Not in my experience - the daycare we used a few years ago before our kids were school age would not enroll un-immunized children.  And while we did eventually find them to not be a good match, it was for reasons other than immunizations - we don't have a problem with immunizing our kids.

 Ditto. In the UK they won't take un-immunised children- full stop. I don't think a childcare provider should be 'red-flagged' because they want your child to be immunised before they'll take them in- surely its in the other childrens best interests?? I've never heard of a child being un-immunised because of religious beliefs?

My expereience has been very different.  When I was looking at both preschools and Daycares for my DS I told them we don't vaccinate and they gave me an exemption form.  Or the 10 more more preschools and centers I looked at I came across one in home daycare that didn't allow exemptions.  So I moved on and didn't consider that daycare. 

The same with public school. I have lots of friends that do not vaccinate who either homeschool or use the public school system. 

Irishmum I am only speaking for experience here in the US and more specifically the state of North Carolina.  Like I said know your rights because many schools and daycares, and doctors will bully parents into thinking there childern must have these vaccines to attend. Its best to look up the law yourself and if there's any argument you have it in your hands.

There are religious reasons not to use certain vaccines. Specifically those made from aborted fetal cells.  Aside from moral issues held about abortion, there's also the issue of putting human body parts inside another human. A belief that some religious groups hold. 

 

Denise

Original Post by irishmum:

Original Post by santonacci:

Original Post by weddingmama:

This is a myth. As a parent yu do not have to immunize your childern' to attend day care or public schools.  

 Not in my experience - the daycare we used a few years ago before our kids were school age would not enroll un-immunized children.  And while we did eventually find them to not be a good match, it was for reasons other than immunizations - we don't have a problem with immunizing our kids.

 Ditto. In the UK they won't take un-immunised children- full stop. I don't think a childcare provider should be 'red-flagged' because they want your child to be immunised before they'll take them in- surely its in the other childrens best interests?? I've never heard of a child being un-immunised because of religious beliefs?

I do agree that it is important to do your own research though.

Ditto. It varies state by state in the US. My aunt lives in a state that allows it to be up to the parents discretion. I, however, do not. My son goes to a private preschool but they are regulated by the state so they therefore have to follow state regulations.

Personally, I disagree with the fact that if they require immunizations that they are not a good match for your family. There are many factors that play into whether or not a child-care provide or preschool is a match for your family or not.

I do agree that it is important to do your own research though.

I am sorry but I don't know of any state that requires vaccines. They may recommend them and some may not allow for philosophical exemptions, but they aren't required. You can always claim religious beliefs, that goes for  nearly EVERY state.The exceptions being West Virginia and Mississippi

http://www.909shot.com/state-site/state-exemp tions.htm

http://home.san.rr.com/via/STATES/allstates.h tm

 

 

Like I said its a Myth in the US that your childern "MUST" be vaccinated. I can assure you in those states that don't allow religious exemptions non vaxing parents have figured a way around that as well.

Since UTR and I are in the same state, I was curious about required vaccines, which I was under the impression vaccines were a requirement.  I found this website that specifically states which are required.  Then I found this one detailing how to exempt your child.  Good to know!     

I've never heard of a child being un-immunised because of religious beliefs?

Christian scientists are the most commonly known group that advocates prayer healing and discourages medical interventions such as immunizations and blood transfusions.  They don't actually prohibit members from using modern medicine, but prayer is preferred.

Original Post by lysistrata:

I've never heard of a child being un-immunised because of religious beliefs?

Christian scientists are the most commonly known group that advocates prayer healing and discourages medical interventions such as immunizations and blood transfusions. They don't actually prohibit members from using modern medicine, but prayer is preferred.

I know some mainstream Christians who have opted out of some of the shots like MMR based on the moral concerns with abortion. Some of the vaccines are made with aborted fetal cells.  I understand at one point manufacturers were going to try another alternative for I don't know if it ever happened. 

 

Denise

Original Post by weddingmama:

Original Post by lysistrata:

I've never heard of a child being un-immunised because of religious beliefs?

Christian scientists are the most commonly known group that advocates prayer healing and discourages medical interventions such as immunizations and blood transfusions. They don't actually prohibit members from using modern medicine, but prayer is preferred.

I know some mainstream Christians who have opted out of some of the shots like MMR based on the moral concerns with abortion. Some of the vaccines are made with aborted fetal cells.  I understand at one point manufacturers were going to try another alternative for I don't know if it ever happened. 

 

Denise

 Wow- I did not know either of these things!....Sometimes I'm glad I live in RC Ireland! Its less confusing?!

I read an amazing book about this recently, "Vaccines, Autism and Childhood Disorders: Crucial Data That Could Save Your Child's Life" by Neil Z. Miller. It really opened my eyes and scared the crap out of me, frankly. I know the arguement is that it gets diagnosed around the same time as the shots, but there are thousands of documented cases of children who were developing normally, getting the shots, and then regressing more than 6 months worth of ALREADY ACHEIVED progress. When it comes to the scare tactics of "if you don't immunize, they'll get it!": Most vaccines are only good for a few years, so by the time your child is in school, they're no longer protected by them anyhow. Your child is MUCH more likely to be immune to something if you had it. Most outbreaks of measles, mumps, etc, hit immunized populations just as hard/harder than the kids who aren't. Even if they do get it, so what? When our parents were kids, people got them all the time, and it's more common to die from the flu.   

Original Post by peera:

Even if they do get it, so what?  

"Measles is a significant infectious disease because, while the rate of complications is not high, the disease itself is so infectious that the sheer number of people who would suffer complications in an outbreak amongst non-immune people would quickly overwhelm available hospital resources."

"So what" indeed.  Tell that to the percentage of the population, although small, that would have complications and have their lives put at risk - all because a group of people decide to go by the "my grandparents didn't need it, and neither do I" method of healthcare.

I don't mean to get snippy here - there's a reason for concern, but despite the number of books out there like what you've mentioned, there's still no evidence to establish a causal link.  At least not to the point that would convince me to not immunize my kids.

I spoke to my son's pediatrician about this and it's a total myth.  (sorry if someone already said this)  But he stated that the link was thought to be between autism and the preservative in some vaccinations.  That preservative has been discontinued for years now so babies  now are at little to no risk of being given a vaccination with that preservative anymore.

 

Hope that help

Original Post by sldixon52:

I spoke to my son's pediatrician about this and it's a total myth.  (sorry if someone already said this)  But he stated that the link was thought to be between autism and the preservative in some vaccinations.  That preservative has been discontinued for years now so babies  now are at little to no risk of being given a vaccination with that preservative anymore.

 

Hope that help

I posted the FDA website supporting what your doctor said on the 1st page. 

FDA is continuing its efforts toward reducing or removing thimerosal from all existing vaccines.Much progress has been made to date. FDA has been actively working with manufacturers, particularly those that manufacture childhood vaccines, to reach the goal of eliminating thimerosal from vaccines, and has been collaborating with other PHS agencies to further evaluate the potential health effects of thimerosal. Since 2001, all vaccines recommended for children 6 years of age and younger have contained either no thimerosal or only trace amounts, with the exception of inactivated influenza vaccines, which are marketed in both the preservative-free and thimerosal-preservative-containing formulations.

sldixon52:

OF COURSE your pediatrician is going to say that!!!! In my experience you won't find a pediatrician who will say otherwise unless he/she is a holistic doctor. It is important that WE educate ourselves as much as possible from all sources, NOT just western medicine. Yes, the preservative is being taken out from these vaccines, however that isn't the only cause for alarm. The toxins are (such as mercury, etc) and that is what's harming our children. And for the record, at this point I am not ANTI- vaccine, but I do believe that pumping our little ones with all this unnecessary poison is wrong.

i agree with le_cabinet..

Original Post by le_cabinet:

Yes, the preservative is being taken out from these vaccines, however that isn't the only cause for alarm. The toxins are (such as mercury, etc) and that is what's harming our children.  

The preservative (thimerosal) is what had the mercury in it.  What other "toxins" are still present in modern vaccines?

It is very important to do your own research as well as discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of vaccinations. 

I found a few websites and articles that may be of interest. 

Here is an article on Pediatrics.com from 2003 that addresses this issue:

Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Vaccines Contain Harmful Preservatives, Adjuvants, Additives, or Residuals?

And here is a list of the vaccines & ingredients.

Here is a Question of the Week on Pediatrics.about.com that explains the benefits of vaccinations:

Aren't Vaccines Dangerous?

Excerpt:

Today there are far fewer visible reminders of the unnecessary suffering, injuries, and premature deaths caused by vaccine-preventable diseases.

• Polio vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1955. During 1951 to 1954, an average of 16,316 paralytic polio cases and 1,879 deaths from polio were reported each year. As of 1991, polio caused by wild-type viruses has been eliminated from the Western Hemisphere, and we are on course to eradicating polio from the world--- hopefully by the end of the year 2000.
  
  
• Smallpox used to kill millions of people each year around the world. This virus no longer circulates. No one has been infected with smallpox since 1977. That is the power that vaccines provide C the ability to stop a killer.
  
  
• A physician entering practice today will most likely never see a case of Hib meningitis. Before the introduction of effective vaccines, approximately one in 200 children developed invasive Hib disease before five years of age -- about 20,000 cases annually. Hib was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children under age five C accounting for 50 to 65 percent of all cases. From 15 to 30 percent of affected children became hearing impaired and 2 to 5 percent died in spite of effective antibiotic therapy.
  
  
• In the 1960s, many people witnessed first-hand, the terrible effects of the rubella virus. During an epidemic between 1964 and 1965, about 20,000 infants were born with deafness, blindness, heart disease, mental retardation, and other birth defects because the rubella virus infected their pregnant mothers. Today, thanks to an effective vaccine, the rubella virus poses little threat to expectant mothers and their children.

Here is a news story about the US's largest measel outbreak in the past decade (occurred in 2006):

Vaccination Fear Causes Measles Spate

Excerpt:

The country’s largest measles outbreak in a decade was sparked when an unvaccinated teenager returned from a mission trip to Romania and attended a single church gathering with other unvaccinated children.

Of the 34 people who became sick during the 2005 outbreak: 33 were members of the same northwest Indiana church, 32 had not been vaccinated against measles, and 28 were school-aged. Of the 28 school-aged children, 20 were homeschooled.

The parents of most of the children who got sick said they had refused measles vaccination for their children because of fears about vaccine safety.

Here is an article about a Girl’s Autism-Like Symptoms Linked to Vaccines.

excerpt:

The government has not said that childhood vaccines cause autism; rather, officials conclude that the vaccines given to the girl in 2000 aggravated a pre-existing condition -- a mitochondrial disorder -- that then manifested as a regressive neurological disease with some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.