As a mother or father , you too feel a little scared and hesitant when you go to give your child a vaccine, don't you? It's very normal. This fear has been exacerbated by one story that is spreading in society. That is the story that "vaccines cause autism in children." So is this true? Or is it a big misconception? Today, we will talk about this from a scientific perspective, but in very simple language that you can understand.
How did this story start? - The MMR vaccine controversy
This whole story begins in 1998. A researcher in England, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, publishes a research paper in which he claims that there is a link between the MMR vaccine , which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, and autism.
Imagine, this research was done using only 12 children . But at that time, the number of children diagnosed with autism was increasing, so this small research became very famous all over the world. Parents were very scared.
After this incident, other doctors and scientists around the world started looking into this. They did many more studies on the MMR vaccine and autism. At least 12 such follow-up studies were conducted. None of them found any evidence that the MMR vaccine caused autism.
Most importantly, a thorough investigation of the 1998 study that initially sparked this story revealed serious flaws and fraud. Finally, in 2010, the General Medical Counsel for England officially declared that the study was not only based on faulty science, but was also a deliberate fraud . The medical license of Dr. Wakefield, who conducted the study, was even revoked. Investigations revealed that the doctor had received a large sum of money (more than 435,000 pounds sterling) from a lawyer who was investigating a link between vaccines and autism.
Simply put, the very beginning of this story that has frightened the entire world is a lie and a fraud.
So what's the story about Thimerosal?
About a year after the MMR scandal, this fear shifted to another area. That was the compound called ' Thimerosal ', which was used to preserve some vaccines. It contained a small amount of mercury. So when you say "mercury", everyone gets scared, because we know that mercury is harmful to the brain in high doses.
But the truth is this. The vaccines contained a very small, harmless amount . There was no scientific evidence that it caused any harm. However, due to the fear and suspicion of parents, by 2001, at the request of organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, thimerosal was removed from most childhood vaccines.
So, researchers then looked at whether there was a difference in autism rates between children who received vaccines containing thimerosal and those who did not. After conducting about 9 such studies, no link was found.
Even better evidence is that even after thimerosal was almost completely removed from vaccines , the number of children diagnosed with autism continued to increase. So it's clear that thimerosal is not the cause of autism, right?
Is it a problem to give all the vaccines together?
Others think, "These are not just one or two vaccines, they are given about 25 vaccines before the child is two years old. When all of these go into the child's body, the 'overload' will disrupt the child's immune system and cause autism."
There have been studies looking into this too. They compared two groups of children.
1. Children who have received all vaccinations according to the scheduled schedule.
2. Children who delayed receiving vaccinations or missed some vaccinations.
What was the result? There was no difference in the rate of autism between the two groups. This means that neither the number of vaccines nor the order in which they were given caused autism.
| Common Myth | Scientific Fact |
|---|---|
| The MMR vaccine causes autism. | This view is based on a flawed, small study. This view has been completely refuted by more than a dozen subsequent large studies. |
| Thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines causes autism. | There is no evidence that the amount in vaccines is harmful. The fact that autism rates have increased even after it was removed from vaccines suggests that it is not the cause. |
| Giving too many vaccines at once during childhood causes autism. | Research has found no difference in autism rates between children who received vaccines as scheduled and those who did not receive them/received them late. |
Finally, what is science?
This story is more than 20 years old. Throughout this time, archaeologists around the world have been researching this.
- In 2004, the Institute of Medicine's Vaccine Safety Review Committee reviewed all published and unpublished research on the subject and issued a 200-page report. Their conclusion was that there was no evidence of a link between vaccines and autism .
- The research didn't stop there. In 2019, the largest study ever conducted was conducted. It studied nearly 660,000 children over 11 years. The final conclusion was that there was no link between vaccines and autism .
The only thing that has been proven time and again by thousands of scientific studies is that there is no link between vaccines and autism. Vaccines are a divine weapon that protects our children from serious, deadly diseases like measles, whooping cough, and polio.
Take-Home Message
- Vaccines do not cause autism. This is a scientific fact that has been proven over and over again by decades and thousands of studies.
- The first study linking vaccines and autism has been proven to be a deliberate fraud.
- Vaccination is the best and safest way to protect your child's life from potentially fatal infectious diseases.
- If you have any fears, doubts, or questions about vaccines, please do not rely on information found on the internet or social media, but rather consult your family doctor or pediatrician . They will provide you with the most accurate information.
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