Hi everyone. There are a few things that I want to mention, now that you've begun to read my blog. First, thanks. As a baby it's important for me to get a lot of attention; so thanks for being interested in my life. Second, if you have any comments (or tips on how to get a good night sleep) there's an area below each blog to leave a comment. You do not have to be a Google member or anything like that; just choose the right identity below the comment box. Last, my parents update the links on the side of the page every once in a while. So check it out.
BTW- Are you following what is going on in Atlanta with the childhood vaccines? A really big deal since my parents talk about me and those vaccines a lot. Check out the link. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/06/AR2008030602687.html?hpid=sec-health
3 comments:
As your token "scientist" friend, I feel obligated to point out that vaccines have saved literally millions of lives, while causality of autism cannot (and, I am confident in saying, will not) be linked to the vaccines. People commonly confuse a correlative relationship with a causal relationship, i.e. if there is a correlation between one factor and another, then one factor must have caused the other. In this case, children that develop autism have gotten vaccinated, therefore the vaccination must have caused the autism. That's equivalent to saying "it rained because I forgot to bring my umbrella." (By the way, the entire homeopathic industry has been sustained by exploiting the human tendency to find causalities that in reality do not exist.) Because the onset of autism coincides temporally with the adminstration of vaccines, parents searching for a reason beyond the most likely one - genetic - the parents blame the vaccine. The fact that the Institute of Medicine and several other independent health organizations have been unable to find a causative relationship between vaccines and autism, despite their best efforts in hundreds of studies, is a pill too hard to swallow for someone searching for a reason, and, more importantly, someone to blame for their child's autism. So I hope that if a parent chooses to opt out of vaccines that they also responsibly choose to opt out of public education, because I would find it profoundly irresponsible for an un-vaccinated child to put his or her classmates at risk of exposure to a disease that is vaccine-preventable. Hope this helps in your decision-making. Cheers, Fran
I did a story on it years ago and agree it's something to think about and consider... but I have to agree with Fran's post above that the fact that the IOM hasn't found a connection is pretty telling. There's some indication from a study published in jan. by researchers from UCLA that there may be a genetic link. And, for what it's worth, it's more common in boys than girls. Also, re: the little girl in Atlanta, personally, I don't think that arguement is a fair one because the girl already had a mitochondrial disease so the vaccine exacerbated her already weakened system.
You already know my thoughts on vaccinations. Vaccines may be a cause of autism. Because scientific studies have not made a direct link between vaccines and autism does not mean that no link exists. Oerwhelming scientific evidence now exists of vaccines potential for permanent neurological and developmental damage. Some 68 vaccines are mandated in this country for children under 18 years of age. Legitimate scientific questions such as the overall effect of the total viral load from all these shots, the combinations of vaccines given in one shot, or on the same day, are never raised and are never funded for study. Autism in this country has risen from 1 in 10,000 in 1978 to now 1 in 150. Between 1993 and 2006 there was an average increase in autism of 1700% across the US As the number of vaccines mandated has risen, so has the incidence of autism. Perhaps genetics does play a part in autism, i.e. the girl in Atlanta with mitocondrial disease. Unless we test every baby for every genetic disease before giving them vaccinations, we are gambling with the life of the child, gambling that he/she is not one of the ones with genetic diease or weakened immune system who will become autistic because of vaccines.
As far as parents who opt out of vaccines opting out of public education; if vaccines are as effective as they say, then an un-vaccinated child would be of no threat to those who are vaccinated - the vaccinated would be immune!
My final thought - if parents choose to vaccinate their children
I advise waiting until the child is at least 2 years old when immunity and nervous system are more mature and better able to handle toxins.
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