MMR Vaccine and Autism free essay sample

Vaccine and Autism There is a lot of controversy surrounding the MMR vaccine and whether or not it causes Autism. One of the main advocates for causation is Andrew Wakefield. He performed a study in 1998 that consisted of 12 children. Such a small sample group alone is enough for this mother to doubt the validity of his study. I may not be a scientist, but I do know that the larger the sample group is, the more valid the results are going to be. According to http://www. thpc. scot. nhs. uk/Health_Protection/MMR/ AW%20claims. htm, Wakefields theory was this: MMR immunisation leads to measles irus becoming colonised in the lining of the bowel; this process causes inflammatory bowel disease and a leaky bowel; this allows harmful peptides or toxins, which wouldnt normally be absorbed to enter the bloodstream, enter the brain and cause autism. And according to his own summary on http:// www. We will write a custom essay sample on MMR Vaccine and Autism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page thelancet. om/Journals/lancet/article/PllS0140-6736(97)11096-0/abstract; these were his findings: Onset of behavioural symptoms was associated, by the parents, with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in eight of the 12 children, with measles infection in one child, and otitis media in another. All 12 children had intestinal abnormalities, ranging from lymphoid nodular hyperplasia to aphthoid ulceration. Histology showed patchy chronic inflammation in the colon in 11 children and reactive ileal lymphoid hyperplasia in seven, but no granulomas. Behavioural disorders included autism (nine), disintegrative psychosis (one), and possible postviral or vaccinal encephalitis (two). There were no focal neurological abnormalities and MRI and EEG tests were normal. Abnormal laboratory results were significantly raised urinary methylmalonic acid compared with agematched controls ow haemoglobin in four children, and a low serum IgA in four children. However, this study has since been retracted and Mr. Wakefield stripped of his medical license. He has been accused of falsifying his findings and the backgrounds (including the fact that 3 were already showing signs of autism before being vaccinated) of the children involved in his study. According to the CDC (http:// www. cdc. gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism/) a scientific review by the Institute of Medicine (10M) concluded that the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship etween thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism. CDC supports the 10M conclusion that there is no relationship between vaccines containing thimerosal and autism rates in children. For a lot of people, the CDC is the final word of expertise on the subject. For others, like actor