The Autism Shot, Fact or Fiction?

            When baby Jessica is born in the United States, her parents will chose to vaccinate her believing that it will protect her against future harmful pathogens. But although her parents think she is safe, the reality is she may not be. Because other parents are refusing to vaccinate their children, preventable diseases can more easily come in contact will young infants and cancer patients unable to be vaccinated. Unbeknownst to many new parents, the decade long debate over the possible link of vaccines and autism (even though the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ruled none exist) has inspired numerous enthusiasts to not vaccinate their children. As media attention continues to instill doubt and mistrust of vaccines in the minds of the public, more people are against the use of vaccines. This selfish decision puts not only their own child at risk, but also evidently the lives of many others. In a time of medical breakthroughs, cutting edge technology and in a developed country, there is no reason children should not be vaccinated for fear of “catching” autism.

            Since newborns cannot receive all their recommended shots at once, older children or adults who could have been but were not vaccinated can pass deadly diseases (even though they were once preventable diseases thanks to vaccines) to the newborns and cause them serious harm. For parents to take a chance on their own child’s life is bad enough, but it is a completely different matter when they are responsible for the death of a child that should not have happened in the twenty-first century United States. These countless parents of autistic children are quick to jump on the “Vaccines Gave My Child Autism” train without acknowledging the various studies that prove otherwise. In fact, it is thanks to the media that the flawed and fraudulent research linking vaccines to autism has continued to be believed and used as proof. Parents are banning together to post blogs and get the word out that their child has autism because of a shot they received at three months. Did they ever stop to think that their child had autism before being vaccinated and just showed no symptoms? Probably not. Researchers have found that autism is more than likely due to genetics rather than the environment, but that does not stop the media from continually publishing the perceived negative side effects like autism. Because of the vast difference in the severity of autism, it is not always possible to diagnose infants in autism since they have not begun doing math, speak, or even lift their heads up.

            But then there is also the set of extremists they say, “How else can the rise in autistic children be explained?” I am here to admit that although it is entirely possible that autism is becoming more frequent by something humans control (like vaccines), it is extremely more probable to recognize that new medical advances has allowed for better detection of autism (which would result in a higher percentage of the population being diagnosed). Just because breast cancer has been diagnosed more over the years does not mean there were fewer cases forty years ago. It is all thanks to new screenings and tests available, so why should autism be seen any differently? In fact, many scientists question if there is even a rise in the “autism epidemic” at all because throughout the years there has been increased attention to the condition resulting in an improved autism spectrum that mixes many different conditions together. Parents are always going to worry about their children (I would only hope that’s natural), but the media explosion of the “effects of vaccines and autistic children” need to end. They are purposely causing fear and panic by continuing to tell stories about children being diagnosed with autism after having vaccinations. Instead of exposing the stories of parents who already had autistic children before vaccinating them and making it a mission to unveil the truth behind the initial falsified research, they will not stop suggesting there is a link. Although there have been no direct links of vaccines to autism, and it is time to keep vaccine-preventable diseases away from children that could fall prey to them.

Mooney, Chris. “Why does the Vaccine/Autism Controversy Live On?.” Discover Magazine. 6 May 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2012.
Why Does Vaccine Autism Controversy Live On

As an a New York Times bestselling author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future and Yale graduate, the author discusses how countless medical studies have failed to provide evidence that vaccines cause autism. Throughout the article Mooney uses science to explain the possible causes of autism that include them being largely due to genetics rather than environmental. He blames the media for hyping up the nonexistent link between the two for people thinking autism is on the rise solely because of vaccines. The article helps to counteract the influenced opinions of many parents and helps them question what they were once told.