Search Results for: blog autism and the mmr vaccine

A Brief Review of Things Said to Cause Autism

Scientists in Australia have developed a genetic test to predict autism spectrum disorder in children. This might sound like the “breakthrough” that some parents are looking for. Personally, I’ve heard so many different things that are said to be the cause of autism that I have grown jaded. Here is a quick round-up of a few of them. Let’s start with the most recent story. Scientists in Australia used United States data from more than 3,000 people who have autism in a recent study. The scientists identified 237 genetic markers and 146 genes and related cellular pathways. The scientists say … Continue reading →

Website Warned Over Misleading MMR Claims

A British website posted information that suggests that the MMR vaccine could be linked to autism. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that this claim is misleading and must not appear on the website. This is one of many false claims regarding autism and vaccines made by that website. I’m going to make this perfectly clear. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) : “All reputable scientific studies have found no relationship between MMR vaccine and autism”. The Mayo Clinic says that there is no link between vaccines and autism. It goes on to say: “One of the greatest controversies … Continue reading →

Study Says Autism Starts in the Womb

A new study finds that children who have autism have significantly more brain cells than do children of typical development. This suggests that autism is caused by something that happens before a baby is born. This means that autism is not triggered by an event or substance after a child is born. What causes autism? There have been plenty of theories that attempt to answer this question. There have been people blaming the cause of autism on the MMR vaccine, (which simply isn’t true). Some studies have tried to link autism with everything from the occupation of the parents to … Continue reading →

Panel of Scientists Finds Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism

Right now, many parents are making decisions about vaccinations. Public schools tend to require that all students be vaccinated against certain diseases before that child is allowed to attend school. Parents can rest assured that another panel of scientists has confirmed the finding that the M. M. R. vaccine does not cause autism. The vaccine that has caused so much debate is the M. M. R. vaccine. This is the shot that protects children against getting three very serious, and potentially deadly, diseases: measles, mumps, and rubella. A panel of scientists that were assembled by the Institute of Medicine have … Continue reading →

Autism and Genetics

Autism is the collective name for a group of developmental disorders called the “Autism Spectrum Disorders”. People with autism spectrum disorders often have a great deal of trouble communicating and often have difficulty with social interactions. Autism symptoms can be very subtle, or they can be rather debilitating. Autism does tend to run in families. Autistic children often have autistic siblings, especially if they are twins. In fact, if a family has one autistic child, there is a one-in-five chance that their next child will have autism too. Because autism tends to run in families, there is likely a genetic … Continue reading →

Autism and the MMR Vaccine

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When your child is diagnosed with a health condition or a disability, many parents look for someone or something to blame. In my case, it was myself. I knew it wasn’t logical, but my daughter did inherit her mutated cystic fibrosis genes from me and my husband. For other parents, the blame can easily land on an incidence, a doctor, or in some cases a vaccine. Thanks to an article written by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues in 1998, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was blamed for autism. Parents of children with autism then had something to blame, but also … Continue reading →

Vaccine Fact and Fiction

Feeling hesitant about your own (or your child’s) vaccinations? Only one of the following three popular beliefs about vaccinations is true. Mercury in vaccines can accumulate in the body. The flu vaccine can actually cause the flu. People can have allergic reactions to vaccines. Do you know which one is true? It’s the third one — allergic reactions. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, out of one million vaccines given, only ONE vaccine will cause a severe allergic reaction or death. Mild allergic reactions are slightly more common. If you do experience a reaction to a vaccine, a … Continue reading →

Are Vaccines Safe? Other Things You Should Know

In my last blog on vaccines, I wrote about vaccination safety from a statistical perspective. We discussed that all vaccines carry some risk of side effects. . .some of which are severe. We looked at numbers from Japan and the pertussis vaccine that carried the risk of anaphylaxis. (Severe allergic reaction.) Whooping cough was not all that common in the preceding years before the vaccine was stopped. However after the vaccine was stopped, we see a dramatic rise in pertussis cases and a dramatic rise in death. Although the vaccine did carry with it some risks, no one ever died … Continue reading →

Anti-Vaccination Mom Changed Mind After Her 3 Kids Got Sick

Vaccinations prevent people from catching dangerous diseases. Vaccines also can help stop the spread of a disease. There are schools that require students to have their vaccinations before the student can attend school. A mom who was anti-vaccinations has changed her mind after her three children got sick. Kristen O’Meara has three daughters, all of whom are under the age of seven. She chose not to vaccinate her daughters because she was a big believer in anti-vaccination research. O’Meara said she actively sought out anti-vaccination research and books and presumed that they were accurate. Anti-vaccination research has been proven flawed. … Continue reading →

Unvaccinated Children May be Suspended from School

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There is something new that parents may want to consider as they prepare their child for the upcoming school year. Some schools are suspending children who are unvaccinated. The purpose is to stop the spread of preventable childhood diseases. Parents who live in states that allow exemptions for vaccines can still make that choice. However, they should be aware that the exemption will not override the school’s right to protect students from the spread of diseases that can be prevented by vaccinations. Vaccines prevent diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) point out that some diseases, like polio … Continue reading →