Introduction
Autism is often described as the pervasive and crucial deficiencies in many development areas of a person, including communications and reciprocal social interaction, as well as weakness in the imagination and the behaviour of the person (Autismspeaks.org). Autism can be identified in all these areas of development at the age of even three. If the autism is being noticed at the beginning of the child’s development by the parents, there is difficulty in the detection of the autism before the age of eighteen months. The symptoms of behavioural development need to be established and noticed until that age. Most of the children who have autism may have difficulty in learning, and some may have average intelligence. Disability in the visual aspect and also impairment in the hearing perspective, even the symptoms of autism.
About one to two children out of every thousand have autism, which means that in Sweden, every year, about one hundred of the children are born with autism. Mostly, more boys have autism than girls. It is being proven that the boys have almost five times more autism than the girls. Autism can develop in any child of any racism or socioeconomic group. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which is a genetic component in many cases. Many persons have the perspective that various types of vaccinations may lead towards autism. Amon this vaccination Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is being considered to have some link with the Autism spectrum disorder.
Discussion
The rate of autism has increased at an extraordinary rate in developing countries in the last few years. Of those children who were born in 1992, one in 250 of these children have autism spectrum disorder, while the children who were born in 2004, one out of every sixty-eight of them are diagnosed to have autism spectrum disorder (Historyofvaccines.org). It is not yet clear whether the higher rates of autism are due to the change in the definition of autism, due to the increase in the reporting and identification or due to the increase in the autism spectrum disorder’s development. Both the parents and different researchers are worried about the cause of autism. Many parents think that vaccinations are the main risk factor for the development of autism. Perhaps vaccinations received most of the scrutiny for causing autism development disorder. Moreover, around one-third of the people with autism suffer from nonverbal diseases, whereas mental disorders have been seen in about one-third of the persons with autism (Kanner, 2016). Furthermore, seizures, attention deficit, gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety, and phobias can also be used due to Autism.
Mostly, people believe that Measles, mumps, and rubella, named as MMR vaccines, are the cause of autism spectrum disorder. The fear that vaccinations result in autism originated during a study in 1997 by Andrew Wakefield. However, his paper was later discredited completely because of the serious undisclosed financial conflict of interest and the ethical violations. People believe that Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) are so catastrophic that they can cause side effects in children. It is also thought that Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) failed in long-term efficacy in preventing the disease. Most people also believe that natural immunity is sufficient for development, and there is no reason to get vaccinations for children due to its risk.
Many think that age and the associated social changes are the primary factors that influence the timing of immunizations. Until the significant onset age of autism, most of the parents delayed the process of vaccination, and they believed that the school starting age is the main risk factor for autism. Most parents have this negative perception of the Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine’s link with the autism spectrum disorder because this issue has been very high profile in the news in recent years.
Many scientists once believed that the Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine was the main reason behind the autism spectrum disorder. In 1995, a group of British researchers published a paper in which they proposed that the individuals who were vaccinated with the MMR vaccine had been subjected to autism more than the individuals with no vaccination of the MMR. One of these British researchers also states that there is a link between the autism disease and the vaccine because the vaccine disrupts the intestinal tissue, which leads towards autism spectrum disorder, also known as neuropsychiatric disease. However, parents had a wide range of different concerns about the effect of the vaccination on their children and potentially negative results relating to the non-immunization. Mostly, parents reject the Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine due to the concern that this vaccination can have a negative impact on the child’s developing immune system.
In addition to this hypothesis, Wakefield, in 1998, made a study claiming that they found certain evidence of autism in the 12 cases that had some symptoms of the measles viruses in their digestive system after getting the vaccines Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). However, they also state that they were not able to demonstrate a specific relationship between autism and Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). However, in 2011, BMJ published a report by British journalists which stated that Wakefield’s work was a fatal flaw. He stated that many parents of the children had stated that Wakefield’s work was a total fraud by giving false data about the conditions of the children. Moreover, that journalist also indicates that eight of the children among the studied twelve have autism-like symptoms after the vaccination, as reported by Wakefield’s work, which was not right because only two among the twelve children showed these symptoms.
Moreover, only MMR is not the vaccine under criticism; after the controversy with the MMR, many people believed that thimerosal, which is used in some vaccines, is the reason behind the autism spectrum disorder. Due to the mercury-containing perspective of this vaccine, it is being stated that its exposure to the vaccine can lead towards autism. So, the United States ordered to remove the thimerosal from the vaccines to reduce the exposure of mercury, which may result in any disorder. As many vaccines have been added to the immunization schedule of children, some people think that this increase in vaccine exposure can lead towards autism spectrum disorder.
Moreover, there are many myths about the consumption of the vaccines to the children. One of the tales is that a child’s immune system is so strong that it can handle so many vaccines to them. Well, the fact is that the infant immune system of the children is much stronger than as we think. There are a number of antibodies present inside the body of the children that can withstand about ten thousand vaccines at the same time. Only 0.1% per cent of the baby’s immune capacity will be used if all the 14 scheduled vaccines are given to a baby at one time (Retaskie, 2015). As the cells in the immune system are continually being replenished, so there is no threat of overwhelming the body’s immune system (PublicHealth.org). In fact, babies are subject to numerous viruses and bacteria in a day, which is not comparable to immunization.
Additionally, people believed that the use of mercury, aluminium and formaldehyde could be dangerous. Well, it is true that these chemicals are dangerous and toxic to the human body, but only if used in a higher amount. Only small traces of these chemicals are being used in the vaccines that are approved by the FDA. Also, the FDA claims that formaldehyde is being produced at a higher rate by their system of metabolic, and there is no scientific evidence about the small amount of these chemicals that can cause harm. Despicable of the concern of the parents, vaccines have been successfully given to children for many decades. Furthermore, there is no immediate danger, including allergies or other side effects. The incidence of death is often negligible, and there is no linkage between autism and vaccines.
Conclusion
Increasing use of vaccines can be harmful to the immune system of children, but studies from different scientists have shown that vaccination has no linkage with Autism spectrum disorder. Moreover, studies have shown that the child’s immune system is much stronger than it can withstand the high usage of vaccinations, even if it can stand one thousand vaccinations at a single time. Furthermore, the FDA claims that the formaldehyde, mercury, and aluminium that are used in the vaccines have a minimal amount of them in them, which are not hazardous in resulting autism.
References
What Is Autism?. (2018). Autism Speaks. Retrieved 14 April 2018, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
Do Vaccines Cause Autism? | History of Vaccines. (2016). Historyofvaccines.org. Retrieved 14 April 2018, from https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/do-vaccines-cause-autism
Kanner, L., & Asperger, H. (2016). Introduction to Autism.
Retaskie, K. (2015). Parents Perceptions of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Vaccine Myths Debunked | PublicHealth.org. (2014). PublicHealth.org. Retrieved 14 April 2018, from https://www.publichealth.org/public-awareness/understanding-vaccines/vaccine-myths-debunked/
