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So unless you’ve been under a rock, you\u2019re well aware of the measles outbreak that started in Disneyland and has now spread to 121 cases across the U.S. \u00a0Doctors, the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC, and more are urging parents to get their children vaccinated.<\/p>\n

This has created a storm of opposition from the anti-vax parents.\u00a0 Seemingly unconcerned with what they deem a mild or non-serious illness, they are defending their rights not to vaccinate.\u00a0 They feel they are protecting their children from autism which they believe is caused by the MMR vaccine.\u00a0 The study that perpetuated the myth was retracted and deemed junk science. Regardless, they remain steadfast in their decision not to vaccinate despite increased concern of a measles epidemic.<\/p>\n

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I thought I would research the answers to\u00a0questions that people have been asking regarding all this debate. \u00a0\u00a0So let\u2019s look at what perpetuated the notion that the MMR vaccine was causing Autism?<\/p>\n

We need to go back to 1988, when a doctor in the UK by the name of Andrew Wakefield published a study with just 12 child subjects. The children were brought to his clinic suffering from diarrhea and\/or abdominal pain.\u00a0 These children were said to have a history of normal development but subsequently lost certain skills.\u00a0 When Wakefield was gathering their medical history, he asked the parents when their child received the MMR vaccine and how that correlated to their loss of skills. Based upon this data, Wakefield believed there was a connection between the vaccine and autism.<\/p>\n

However, there was no objective scientific data to back his theory up, it was based on the recall of the parents. Given that some of the vaccines were administered as much as 9 years prior, there is reasonable concern about the accuracy. \u00a0\u00a0What is even more troubling, is that Wakefield, claimed that the bowel dysfunction was caused by the MMR vaccine which then caused the autism, even though 4 of the 12 children in the study experienced behavioral disorders prior to the bowel issues.\u00a0 This fact alone refutes Wakefield\u2019s theory.<\/p>\n

There was also no control group, a critical omission casting more doubt on his findings.\u00a0 A good standard of science, is that the findings can be replicated in a separate setting.\u00a0 After sharing specimens with colleagues at the Royal Free Hospital in London, Wakefield\u2019s findings could not be replicated.\u00a0 His study was later retracted from the Lancet where it was originally published.<\/p>\n

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The doctor\u2019s troubles did not end there, a paper in the Journal of Molecular Pathology written by Wakefield in 2002, was found to be critically flawed.\u00a0 A recent study in the British Medical Journal found no rise in incidence of autism in children who received MMR as compared to those who did not. The authors also showed that in autistic children (both ASD and classical) the age at which a child received MMR did not affect the age at which the diagnosis of autism was made.<\/p>\n

So why then do some parents so vehemently claim that the MMR vaccine caused their child\u2019s Autism?\u00a0 Autism is most often first identified in toddlers aged 18-30 months.\u00a0 Since the MMR vaccine is administered just before this peak age, it causes some parents to link the two together.\u00a0 There is no medical evidence to support this.\u00a0 Extensive reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Institute of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conclude that there is no proven association between MMR vaccine and autism<\/strong>.\u00a0Dr. Wakefield has since lost his license to practice medicine.<\/p>\n

So what does all this mean to the anti-vaxers? Are they changing their stance?\u00a0 No, they are not and they are just as steadfast in their decision not to vaccinate.\u00a0 Many claim that the diseases that the vaccines have eradicated are not that serious. Really?\u00a0 This assumption is based on what?\u00a0 Their opinion?\u00a0 The AAP does not take the stance that the diseases are harmless.\u00a0 In fact they warn parents of the risks and urge them to vaccinate their children.\u00a0 Some pediatricians are refusing to treat the children of parents who refuse to vaccinate.\u00a0 They do not want their patients to be exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases in the waiting rooms.\u00a0 There are also many calling for a ruling that unvaccinated children not be allowed to attend public school.<\/p>\n

I wonder what these parents are going to think in 15 or so years from now when their daughters and sons are dating and moving toward marriage.\u00a0 Have they thought that their sons could contract mumps and be sterile?\u00a0 Or that their grandchild may suffer debilitating birth defects or be stillborn because their mother contracted measles during pregnancy?\u00a0 Have they thought that far ahead, or do they plan to rush out and try to get their child exposed to these illnesses so they have natural immunity?<\/p>\n

Will their pregnant daughters live in constant fear of contracting Rubella?\u00a0 Will they suffer the grief of losing their baby or caring for a child with severe birth defects stemming from a medical decision based on flawed science?\u00a0 Will their daughters rush out and get immunized to protect themselves after seeing the results of primary Rubella infection in unvaccinated pregnant friends and family members? Who knows what they future will hold for them.\u00a0 It\u2019s scary to think about.<\/p>\n

While many are still touting unfounded fears linking vaccines to autism, Autism Speaks chief science officer Rob Ring, has released a statement saying vaccinations cannot cause the disorder \u2014 and telling parents to vaccinate their children.<\/p>\n

So why do they say the measles is a harmless childhood illness?\u00a0 The majority in the anti-vax movement were born after the vaccine, so they have no first-hand experience.\u00a0 Prior to the vaccine, measles killed 500 people a year in the U.S.\u00a0 Measles infection caused 48,000 people a year to be hospitalized and 4,000 experienced encephalitis, a dangerous condition that causes the brain to swell and caused 400-500 deaths.<\/p>\n

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases because it\u2019s airborne and lingers in the air causing it to spread quickly.\u00a0 People can spread the disease for four days before they develop any symptoms. Highly contagious, 90% of people not immune will contract the virus if exposed.<\/p>\n

So how do you feel on the issue?\u00a0 Let me know, but please keep your comments respectful.<\/p>\n

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