Running head: IS THERE A LINK

Is There a Link Between Vaccines and Autism

Antonia Mendoza
Jillian Wojcik
ISC 495
2/28/15

Is There a Link Between Vaccines and Autism

Scrolling though facebook, you noticed one of your friends post a link with the
headline, YOUR CHILD IS AT RISK FOR AUTISM. Curious, you follow the link and
read a well-written article on how there is a direct link between Autism and vaccinating
your child. Recently it has become a huge debate throughout the states; causing various
articles to be posted on CNN, New York Times, PBS, WebMD, and the CDC regarding
the recent increase in Autism and how there is or is not a link to vaccinations. This in turn
has caused parents to ask themselves, should I get my child vaccinated?
So how did this controversy come to light? In 1998 The Lancet, a British journal
published a paper, which proposed a link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
vaccine and autism. (Willingham & Helft, 2014). It was not until Wakefield, the papers

Running head: IS THERE A LINK

author, gave an interview stating, The risk of this particular syndrome developing is
related to the combined vaccine, the MMR, rather than the single vaccines. (Willingham
& Helft, 2014). This is when people started to worry about their child vaccinated. Soon
after publication the U.S. food and drug administration decided to release a statement that
they had found no link between vaccinations causing neurological harm. (Willingham &
Helft, 2014). Since than there have been numerous studies trying to discredit the original
paper that was written by Wakefield.
With that being said many individuals still feel that vaccines can cause autism.
According to the article written in 2013 by Arjun Walia he states that
Vaccine manufactures and medical experts with drug industry connections have
been aware of the multiple dangers associated with vaccinations for over 30 years.
Wed also like to present medical research that indicates the many dangers
associated with vaccines and have done this on multiple occasions. We do this
because the safety of vaccinations is commonly pushed by the mainstream media,
without ever mentioning or citing the abundant medical research that should also
be taken into consideration when discussing vaccinations. (Walia, 2013).
In 2001, the department of Biology and Biotechnology center at Utah State University
published an article stating that they have found that many autistic children have elevated
levels of measles antibodies. In order to see if there is a direct link between the
vaccination and autism the department took serum samples of 125 autistic children and 92
control children. From these samples they analyzed the antibodies, which ended up
showing a significant increase in the level of MMR antibodies in autistic children. The
department concluded that there was enough evidence to suggest that there was an
inappropriate antibody response to MMR, specifically the measles component thereof,

Running head: IS THERE A LINK

which might be related to pathogenesis of autism. (Singh, Lin, Newell, & Nelson, 2001).
This one article shows that there could be a potential link between the genetic makeup of
autistic children and the ingredients in the vaccination. In 2011 an article was published
stating that they there is a possible genetic predisposition to develop autism, researchers
suspect that one or more environmental triggers are also need. These researchers feel that
one of these triggers could be the battery of vaccinations that young children receive.
They state that after using control groups they noticed a significant statistical relationship
between vaccinating a child by age 2 and autism. These statistics have shown higher the
proportion of children receiving recommended vaccinations; the higher was the
prevalence of autism. Even a 1% increase in vaccination was associated with an additional
680 children-having autism. They conclude that even though mercury has been removed
from many vaccines, other culprits may link vaccines to autism. (Delong, 2011). These are
just a few of many studies showing that there is a possible link between vaccinations and
autism.
How can someone argue that there is not a direct link between autism and
vaccinating your child? According to Autism Speaks there is no increase risk for autism
with the MMR vaccine. Researchers analyzed the health records of 95,727 children,
including more than 15,000 children unvaccinated at age 2 and more than 8,000 still
unvaccinated at age 5. With 2,000 of these children were considered at risk for autism
because they were born into families that already had a child with the disorder. According
to the researchers
Consistent with studies in other populations, we observed no association between
MMR vaccination and increased ASK risk the authors write. We also found no
evidence that receipt of either one or two doses of MMR vaccination associated

Running head: IS THERE A LINK

with an increased risk of ASD among children who had older siblings with ASD.
The analysis looked at autism rates and MMR vaccination at ages 2,3,4 and 5
years. It showed no increased risk of autism with immunization at any age. In fact,
autism rates were lower in the vaccinated groups. However, this might be because
parents who see early signs of autism were more likely to delay or avoid
vaccination, the authors speculate. (Autism Speaks, 2015).
This only strengthened the argument for vaccinations. In order to try and clear the air, the
CDC has come out state that they had found no link between vaccines and autism. In their
article they state that
Studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and
developing ASD. In 2011, an Institute of Medicine report on eight vaccines given
to children and adults found that with rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe.
A 2013 CDC study added to the research showing that vaccines do not cause ASD.
The study looked at the number of antigens from vaccines during the first two
years of life. The results showed that the total amount of antigen from vaccines
received was the same between children with ASD and those that did not have
ASD. (CDC, 2015).
To many individuals this statement from the CDC is a relief. Many feel if the CDC says it
is true, than it must be true. However, many individuals feel that this statement from the
CDC goes directly against many published articles that have shown proof of a direct link.
I have been following this issue for the past few years, trying to figure out whether
I am for or against vaccinating children. Many parents are upset with this debate, some
feel that their childs life has been endangered, because the other parents that have not had
their children vaccinated due to a possible risk that their child might get autism. After

Running head: IS THERE A LINK

doing much research on whether there is a link or not, I can honestly say I am still
confused on which way to side.
Hear me out on this; there is a part of me that agrees with the CDC and other
various studies stating that there is no direct link between vaccinations and autism. That
vaccinating your child is perfectly safe and that we need to do this, and that we are putting
others lives in danger if we do not vaccinate our children. However, I also do not feel that
the various researches done to try and disprove this theory are not very strong. I somewhat
feel that these articles draw on the fact that our government states they are safe, then we
must to think they are safe. This is where the other side of me agrees with vaccinations
being harmful. If you think about it, are all those chemicals and virus that we are putting
in our body actually good for us? How many times have government programs come out
to say something is safe, such as a drug, to later recall it stating that they had made a
mistake and the drug is no longer safe? With that being said, I tend to lean towards no not
all vaccinations are safe, but I am hesitant to say that they have a huge presence in causing
autism. I think that they might play a small role in the disorder, but I also think that there
are many other reasons behind the pathogenesis of autism. Either way I do not feel 100%
comfortable with the idea of not vaccinating our children, nor do I feel 100% comfortable
with the idea of vaccinating our children.
In conclusion there are many articles out there showing that there is current
evidence regarding a link between autism and vaccinations. However, as there are many
articles stating there is a link, there are also many articles disproving this theory. With that
being said it has become hard for me to decide which side is right. Hopefully within the
next couple years we will be able to come to a solid conclusion whether or not vaccinating
our children is a good or bad thing to do.

Running head: IS THERE A LINK

References
Walia, A. (2013, 09 12). 22 Medical Studies That Show Vaccines Can Cause Autism.
Retrieved February 2016, from Activist Post: www.activistpost.com/2013/09/22medical--that-show-vaccines.html
Willingham, E., & Helft, L. (2014, September 5). The Autism-Vaccine Myth. Retrieved
February 25, 2016, from PBS: www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/autism-vaccinemyth.html
Autism Speaks. (2015, April 20). No MMR- Autsim Link in Large Study of Vaccinated vs.
Unvaccinated Kids. Retrieved February 2016, from Autism Speaks:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/no-mmr-autsim-link-large-studyvaccinated-vs-unvaccinated-kids
CDC. (2015, November 23). Vaccines Do Not Cause Autsim. Retrieved February 2016, from
CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html
Delong, G. (2011). A positive association found between autism prevalence and childhood
vaccination uptake across the U.S. population. J Toxicol Environ Health A. .
Singh, V. K., Lin, S. X., Newell, E., & Nelson, C. (2001, December 19). Abnormal MeaslesMumps-Rubella Antibodies and CNS Autoimmunity in Chidlren with Autism.
Biomedical Science , 6.