It's Official: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism
Take one bogus study, add a myriad of misinformation; finish off with a heaping dollop of paranoia, and you end up with the vaccine panic. The confusion and hysteria surrounding one of the most basic medical treatments has spread misinformation and in some cases even cost people their lives. But finally we have the nail in the coffin of one of the most pervasive falsehoods in the scientific community — vaccines are in no way linked to autism.
The idea that vaccines in children could somehow be linked to autism began way back in 1998, when a single study theorized a connection between vaccinating for diseases and the prevalence of autism. The study was almost instantly discredited and the research involved was later found to be completely false, but by then it was too late; the idea had reached the general public, and the seed of doubt had been planted. Parents stopped vaccinating their children, and the hysteria was preached as scientific fact instead of crackpot theory. Worst of all, unvaccinated children were falling victim to diseases previously thought to be eradicated — and in some cases, the results were fatal.
“The alleged autism-vaccine connection is, perhaps, the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years,” British gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Wakefield said in 2011 regarding the fraudulent study.
Clearly those fearing vaccines needed some more data before they could believe the facts, so how about this: A newly released meta-analysis looked at studies involving nearly 1.3 million children and found absolutely no connection between vaccines and autism. There was simply no correlation between children receiving vaccinations and children on the autism spectrum. In fact, research seems to indicate that there is a reduced autism risk for children dosed with the MMR (measles, mumbles and rubella) vaccine.
We just want to make this perfectly clear so there’s absolutely no confusion: In a study of cases involving nearly 1.3 million children in completely unrelated research cases, there was no correlation found between vaccinations and autism. This includes five major studies as well as five additional case control studies. There is no conflict of interest among the scientists, and they have no investment in the final outcome. There is no bias here. Vaccines do not cause autism.
This should be pretty conclusive evidence that ends the frankly ludicrous debate that never should have started in the first place. But people love to argue and old beliefs die hard, even when presented with pretty much incontrovertable evidence. The roots of the anti-vaccine movement run deep, and have led to parents exposing their children to the dangers of measles and even the whooping cough. The Anti-Vaccine Body Count, a website based on federal statistics, estimates that 1,390 people have died since the movement began.
Even the scientists behind the study admit that they can understand people’s concerns about vaccinations (which can have unpleasant side effects such as fever, swelling at the injection site, and in some cases allergic reactions — but not autism).
“As a parent of three children I have some understanding of the fears associated with reactions and effects of vaccines,” wrote one of the authors of the paper in an epilogue, explaining that two of their children had reactions to the vaccines. “These events did not stop me from vaccinating my third child, however.” Instead of throwing away the whole idea of vaccinations, taking precautions to make the experience less unpleasant are offered.
The bottom line is (and we can’t stop stressing this) that VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM. There is absolutely no hint of any truth to this deadly rumor. It’s high time we accept this as the fact that it is, and stop trying to prove a theory that was discredited almost as soon as it was proposed. Let’s hope that people start vaccinating their kids again, and that this new info proves to be a much-needed dose of reality.
[Pic via Flickr - Steven Depolo]
