Vaccinations

Vaccines are dead or weakened cells of a virus/bacterium and are used to improve immunity to a particuar. Children are vaccinated against diseases such as measles, polio, and mumps. Some researchers believe that the thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, in vaccinations may be a cause of autism cases in children because they are more susceptible to the immunological stress from the shots.

Before Vaccinating

Before you take your child for vaccinations, take the following into consideration:

• Has your child ever had an adverse reaction to a vaccine?
• Has your child ever experienced allergic reactions to food, medications, or other substances?
• Does your child suffer from convulsions, seizures, or other neurological disorders?
• Does your child suffer from a disorder of the immune system?
• Is your child sick at the time of the scheduled vaccination?

When you go to the doctor’s office for shots, the doctor should give you an information sheet about the vaccine and its side effects. Be sure to have information on how to report any side effects your child may suffer as a result of the vaccine. You also have a right to know the manufacturer of the vaccine and the batch number which can prove helpful should your child experience any adverse reactions to the shot.

Scheduling Vaccinations

Much of the talk about vaccines revolves around the prescribed schedule that pediatricians want parents to follow. When so many vaccinations are given at such a young age, many times multiple shots at one visit, it may be worthwhile to look at an alternative schedule for administering vaccinations. Spreading out the shots to not more than two per doctor’s visit is another suggestion worth considering.

Autism and Thimerosal

At the center of most of the debate over the link between autism and vaccines is the preservative thimerosal. Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound that has been used since the 1930’s to prevent vaccine contamination. Once concerns were raised about the safety of this preservative, the Food and Drug Administration began to work with vaccine manufacturers to reduce and even eliminate thimerosal from vaccines. It has been removed, or at least reduced, in shots given to children ages 6 and younger.

FDA vs. Parents

As part of the FDA Modernization Act (FDAMA) of 1997, the FDA reviewed the use of thimerosal and its use in vaccines for children. The review took place in 1999 and claimed to have found no evidence that thimerosal caused harm when used as a vaccine preservative. Under the FDAMA, studies were also conducted to look into the amount of ethylmercury exposure infants received from vaccinations when the recommended immunization schedule was followed. There were no guidelines about exposure to ethylmercury available, so they used information on exposure to methylmercury. They believe their findings showed that the exposure to ethylmercury from vaccinations was within acceptable limits. It was noted, though, that depending on the weight of the infant and the formulation of the vaccine, some infants could be exposed to higher than recommended levels of ethylmercury.

This prompted the Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to issue a joint statement about the use of thimerosal. The statement urged vaccine manufacturers to reduce or eliminate thimerosal in vaccines.

On the Battlefront

Enter grassroots parent groups like Safe Minds, who are working to raise awareness about what they feel is growing evidence of a link between mercury and neurological disorders. Beginning in April of 2000, the group set out to study the link between mercury and Autism Spectrum Disorders. The findings showed that the onset of symptoms with autistic children resembled the symptoms of mercury poisoning. The information was presented in a report titled Autism: A Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning (Bernard, Enayati, Redwood, Roger, Binstock). Through continual funding of research into the link between mercury and neurological disorders, groups continue to seek scientific proof about this connection.

In an effort to further prove their point about the dangers of mercury, the website cited a situation where The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) closed a school because mercury in the air was exposing students to levels that measured 30mcg/m. In the 1990s, before thimerosal was removed from vaccines, infants received up to 187 mcg of mercury during the first six months of their lives. Meanwhile, pregnant women and young children were warned in March 2001 not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury because it was feared to cause neurological problems in children. Safe Minds claims that the mercury levels in some vaccines exceeds the amounts of the substance found in the controversial mercury-laden seafood.

Until there is concrete evidence to support either theory, both groups will continue to fight the fight. In March of 2008, a court case regarding the harmful affects was fought and won. This can only add fuel to the fire with regard to this debate; a debate that holds in its hands the safety and well-being of our children.

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