Help With Autism

DPT is shorthand for the vaccine that immunizes against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. The vaccine was first made available as a combination in 1946. Prior to the advent of the vaccine, thousands of people died each year from these now preventable diseases.

There are risks associated with the DPT vaccine, namely, vaccine damage. Though doctors theorize that children who are susceptible to vaccine damage from DPT would also have serious reactions to the actual diseases, many parents worry. It is best to consult a doctor for all of the facts when making a decision to vaccinate a child.

Thimerosal had been used since the 1930s as a preservative in hundreds of drugs and vaccines. The FDA has since worked with vaccine producers to eliminate the use of thimerosal in favor of mercury-free preservatives. As of October 2010, the only vaccine for children containing thimerosal is the flu shot; the flu mist is thimerosal-free.

If preservatives are still a concern for parents, but they want to make sure their children are protected from deadly diseases, then they should look into preservative-free vaccination. The child’s physician should be able to recommend places to obtain a preservative-free vaccination. Failing that, contact the local pharmacy or urgent care centers for information.

In the same report that we discussed on Tuesday, the Institute of Medicine did acknowledge that vaccine damage does occur. Specifically, the report states, “In some metabolically vulnerable children, receiving vaccines may be the largely nonspecific ‘last straw’ that leads these children to reveal their underlying [problems].” A specific fund even exists to compensate children and families affected by vaccine injury.

For instance, whole-cell pertussis vaccine was once commonly administered to children, some of whom suffered from seizures and lifelong problems. It turns out that many of the children affected actually had Dravet syndrome, which is a severe form of Epilepsy. The vaccine simply triggered the underlying syndrome. Whole-cell pertussis is no longer used.

The Institute of Medicine is the most esteemed adviser on issues of health and medicine in the United States. The government, from time to time, has called on the Institute to evaluate the safety of vaccinations. Dr. Ellen Wright Clayton, chairwoman of the Institute’s latest panel said, “doesn’t cause autism, and the evidence is overwhelming that it doesn’t.”

She elaborated that the panel had looked over more than one thousand peer-reviewed articles in reaching the conclusion that vaccination does not cause autism. This is not the first time that vaccinations have been absolved of the supposed link to autism. Still, groups like SafeMinds are insistent that important research was excluded from the findings and that not enough research has been done to draw definitive conclusions.

In the Tampa Bay area, increasingly more parents are claiming religious exemptions to vaccinations required to start school. As a result, seven cases of measles have been reported this year, the most reported in 14 years. In each case, except for one, the child stricken had not been vaccinated.

Many parents who choose the exemption are believed to do so over fears that thimerosal can lead to Autism. What parents fail to realize is that thimerosal has never been used as a preservative in measles vaccine (which also vaccinates against rubella and mumps). Ironically, past vaccinations have worked almost too well, in that many doctors have difficulty diagnosing measles because so few have seen the disease in person. Still, the threat is real and rising; one in 1,000 children who get the measles will develop a brain infection that can be permanent, if the child survives, as one or two in every 1,000 will die. This simply reinforces the case for parents to research vaccinations and determine which ones they are comfortable being administered to their children.

There is a small, but vocal anti-vaccine movements in the U.S. Members of the movement assert that vaccination is directly responsible for the explosion of autism cases. Dr. Paul A. Offit, an author and chief of the division of infectious diseases and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is an outspoken critic of the anti-vaccine movement.

As such, Dr. Offit and members of the anti-vaccine movment frequently clash. Dr. Offit has been called a “profiteering vaccine damage denier” and a media “quote machine for hire.” Dr. Offit has shot back that recent outbreaks of bacterial meningitis and whooping cough are a result of parents being “more frightened of vaccines than the diseases they prevent.”

Within the first 18 months of their lives, children will receive up to 20 immunizations, and several more boosters throughout childhood. As your pediatrician has likely informed you, there can be side effects. There are several steps to take to prepare you for dealing with potential side effects.

For starters, take the time to read the vaccination pamphlets your child’s pediatrician gives you at the appointment. This will give you a better sense of what to possibly expect. Brush up on the symptoms of allergic reactions, such as difficulty breathing, skin rash, and dizziness. In fact, it’s best to wait in the doctor’s office for 15 minutes after the vaccination is administered, just in case there is a reaction, a doctor is immediately on hand. Some children will develop a fever after vaccination, so make them drink plenty of fluids and apply a cold compress to the vaccination site to reduce swelling and pain.

A mercury-containing organic compound, Thimerosal has been used in many vaccines since the 1930s as an agent of preservation. It has also been used in many biological and drug products. The use of this substance is intended to prevent life-threatening contamination, specifically the growth and development of harmful microbes, bacteria and fungi within the vaccine itself.

However, over the past several years there has been an increase in awareness about the theoretical potential for neurotoxicity of even the lowest levels. Debate has occurred over the increase in the number of infant vaccines that contain Thimerosal has also risen with concerned parents that question the effects of this preservation substance in their young children. Nowadays, Thimerosal had been completely removed from vaccinations for children 6 years of age and younger; only trace amounts of this substance could be found in any such vaccine.

The number of parents who have allowed their children to receive the MMR vaccine and/or other combinations of vaccinations and then watched as their child regressed in terms of physical and mental capability is staggering. The parents who have witnessed failure in the development of such behaviors of their children are high in number and frustrated in demeanor.

To these parents, it’s no secret that their child has undergone vaccine damage due to high level of mercury within the vaccine solution. Now, while it’s hard to refute such a claim to a parent who child has been recently diagnosed with autism, there is still no medical evidence as to support this theory. And this lack of supporting evidence only toys with the minds of new parents – is it safe to allow their children to get vaccinated?

For years there has been speculation that certain early childhood vaccinations have led to autism in certain children. And although medical authorities have repeatedly combated this assumption, parents of autistic children remain frustrated and uncertain as to why their kids have developed this mentally inhibiting condition. The continuous debate between both parties is often coined as the struggles between science and parents.

Whether is really was a vaccination that led to the development of autism in certain children or some other unknown reason, one thing remains certain. Parents must defend the rights and health of their children. Children of any age are too young and powerless to make their own choices or stand up for themselves; therefore it’s only natural that parents step up to protect their kids, especially in matters of long-term mental health.