MMR Study a fraud...thoughts?

Updated on January 18, 2011
B.P. asks from Schooleys Mountain, NJ
45 answers

So the infamous study linking the MMR vaccine to autism is now officially debunked. Does that change anyone's mind about the MMR? What about vaccines in general and their link to autism? Does anyone have person experiences on both sides of the fence?

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G.T.

answers from Modesto on

It has ALWAYS been my thought that the MMR was not the cause of autism. Too many kids get the shots and for too long now. I believe autism is coming from something else we use in daily life.... be it the water, plastic, coated fry pans or a chemical for cleaning.
I'm glad they have ruled out the MMR as I do believe the children need the vaccines so we dont go back 100 years and revisit the old diseases.

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A.J.

answers from Williamsport on

he MMR study was debunked long ago and does not address all the other toxins and unknowns in the modern vaccines and their hefty doses. If anything this frequent mention of the debunking is guilty of making people go, "phew, that one study was debunked, so vaccines are fine" when they have not been proven to be safe.

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

The study was debunked over two years ago. The MMR vaccine has been given for years. It is completely safe. The rise in autism is due, in my opinion, to better trained doctors and more aware parents. I don't think it's been a true rise in autism, just better diagnosing. Those children that would've been "weird" when we were kids are actually people on the spectrum.

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M.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I hardly think its debunked when there are 18 other independent medical studies that match Wakefield. In addition, the reporter who's getting credit for debunking never once interviewed the families that were part of that study and those parents vehemently deny many of his claims.

I don't think we'll ever find the truth about autism in my lifetime. But I've seen vaccines cause great harm to family members (one being paralyzed from MMR shot) and friends. So, while I may not think they cause autism (we happen to know 7 families with autistic children), vaccines *can* do a lot of other damage.

I certainly don't trust the FDA, the most under-funded and over-worked agency, who continues to approve drugs/devices before their testing is complete, resulting in deaths and other injuries. I certainly don't trust the CDC who claims that vaccines are "perfectly safe" when I've witnessed what they've done.

I understand why some parents vaccinate and understand why some don't. It sucks all around that no one seems to have the answers by now.

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M.M.

answers from Bellingham on

I told myself I wouldn't answer this question, but I couldn't help it. You asked a VERY loaded question....
A question for which I have many answers and feel pretty strongly about...but honestly, I do not want to "go there"....(I know what's best for my child, and I don't really care if you vaccinate your kid or not...maybe that's mean...sorry)
However, I do think that any parent deciding on how they feel about vaccination should be able to get the facts. So here are some links for those people...(those parents who are strongly for vaccination, go ahead and vaccinate...and just ignore me.) : )

Dr Wakefield's "side of the story"....
http://www.cryshame.co.uk//index.php?option=com_content&a...

http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/the-big...

General Vaccine Safety info....

www.thevaccinebook.com

http://www.14studies.org/studies.html

There are so many others...but that will get you started. Oh, and Autism is probably 15-20% of why I selectively vaccinate on a delayed schedule....It's really a small piece of a much bigger picture.

P.S. I'm sorry, again, I just have to respond to "stephanie f."...I'm not trying to be mean, but you seem to have a lot of misinformation. You and your sister were vaccinated MUCH less in the late 60s than any child born now would be. (3 vaccines in the late 60s, MMR, DTP, Polio...Now, it's 11/12 vaccines most require multiple doses...altogether 39 doses) Also, your husband had to be re-vaccinated not b/c they were not as kids, but b/c almost all childhood vaccines wear off by teens/adulthood. Vaccines normally last 10-15 years.
Also, Measles and Mumps were not feared as you say, but accepted childhood illnesses much like chickenpox. They are rarely life threatening***Martha--The actual stats are 1 in 1000 cases of measles is life threateningly serious. So, yes when it was common, fatalities did occur, but not frequently. Mumps and rubella are usually very mild in kids, sometimes not even diagnosed.
And...last thing, I promise...the majority of babies who die of pertussis are not un-vaccinated. They are either too young to be vaccinated (under 2 months) OR they were vaccinated, just not fully (because it takes 4 doses of dtap to be "fully" vaccinated.) Most also have already compromised immune systems.
Ok...there's my rant for the night. Sorry, you asked for it. lol

PLS WATCH THIS VIDEO!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id_AxZ3zHAc&feature=pl...!

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

It hasn't changed my mind one bit.

I thought it was a load of garbage even before pretty much everyone thought it was garbage.

I vaccinate my child according to the CDC and APA recommendations and have two happy, healthy kids who fortunately will not die from a completely preventable death.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out why diseases like measles and pertussis are making a comeback. I held my breath until my infant was fully vaccinated because OTHER peoples' decisions not to vaccinate could have negatively affected my not-yet-vaccinated infant.

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M.K.

answers from Chicago on

As a mother of a child on the Autism Spectrum, I believe that every single person on the planet should already know that there is no link between vaccines and Autism.

First of all, the MMR study was proven to be inaccurate years ago. This "debunking" is not new news! In fact, this "doctor" lost his right to practice medicine a year ago. However, it's back in the media because the "doctor" who promoted this (false) link between the MMR vaccine and autism (that was disproven years ago) is now under further fire for a new series of problems with his initial work.

There are *not* two sides to this issue. This is not debatable. Millions of doctors and researchers have studied this issue and not a single one can find any link between vaccines and autism. The ONLY one piece of "research" is a complete fraud -- again, proven false years ago.

It was excruiatingly painful trying to deal with the devestation of the diagnosis without having the "why it happened." This is human nature -- we seek the cause of the problem so we can prevent it in the future, or (in worse case) assign the blame. Without any answers from my Doctor, I grasped at straws and tried to identify an answer myself. However, that didn't make any of it scientifically sound.

It is tragic when a child dies from the Measles. And it will be a horrifying day when the iron lung returns to use in the United States. Especially since all of this is 100% preventable!! Please vaccinate your children.

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J.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

The study was debunked because he did not follow proper protocols with his study. The information discovered was and is very real. I don't know what causes autism, but it is rising at an alarming rate for some reason.
I am hesitant to express an opinion publicly on this matter. It seems to me that in modern day America, having a different opinion on health care (especially for children) is like speaking out against the Church or Government in past generations. You open yourself up to attacks and accusations by the majority who are certain they are absolutely correct. In some parts of the nation, legal consequences. MOST pediatricians refuse to provide care for children who are not vaccinated.

With that being said, the reality is that the government sees the possibility of reactions to the many toxins in vaccines to be better for society as a whole than the outbreak of disease would be. That is not the same as vaccines being safe. I think each mom should do what she feels is right, and what she can live with if the consequences are tough. I agree that we are being poisened on more than one front. When I go to an Alzheimer's facility, I can't help but feel that too many people are robbed of years of their life due to what may be the result of being poisened. Is it hereditary, or do shared genetic weaknesses cause greater susceptibility to neuro toxins within families? I am really not an extremist, and don't live a totally "whole" lifestyle. But, I do believe in freedom of choice and questioning the honesty and reliablility of what we are told by the government.
EDIT
I just had to add that the media and alarmists use fear of ancient diseases to promote vaccinating. Facts are often skewed about outbreaks, and dramatic tragedies are portrayed in tv shows as cautionary tales. There are substantial pockets of citizens all over this country who have NEVER been vaccinated, such as the Amish. They are not fighting eradication by ancient disease. I am not saying vaccines have no value. I just think that the risk to benefit ratio is unsatisfactory either way.

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D.P.

answers from Raleigh on

I always thought the whole MMR controversy was completely bogus. If autism was a direct correlation of the vaccine, then a whole lot more people in my age group (35-41 years old) would also have autism. The dramatic rise in autism would have started in 1971, when the vaccine was first licensed, not the last 10-15 years.
I think the link to autism and the vaccine is purely coincidental. Most childhood developmental anomalies manifest themselves when the child is around 1 year old, when the child normally starts speaking, walking, etc., and around the exact time that the MMR vaccine is administered. I personally feel it's a genetic disorder- not necessarily passed down from parents, but something that happens on a molecular level in the DNA. Duke University is doing some excellent research and studies on this very theory.
I vaccinate my kids on schedule. While I understand why there are parents who choose not vaccinate for their reasons, I am just not one of them. That's each parent's decision. My son has an egg allergy, but he gets his flu shot every year. He is monitored very closely after the vaccination for allergic reactions. So far, they have just been minor cold-like symptoms that last for a week. I can deal with some unpleasant side effects for a week or so afterward, but I would never forgive myself if he were to become gravely ill with the flu and or die from complications. Especially if I could have done something as easy as a shot to prevent it.

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M.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My thoughts are that this guy is pure evil and how sad for the parents of kids who were not vaccinated b/c of this and ended up with a life threatening disease. And I also think how sad for the people who STILL want to believe that this bogus study was real in spite of the total debunking of it from the entire scientific community INCLUDING most of the people who worked on the study!

I also believe along with Grandma T that autism is coming from something that we are in daily contact with and that some people's genetic makeup makes them predisposed the its harmful effects resulting in autism. And from what I can tell the rise in autism coincides with the rise in breastfeeding so is there something that we are unknowingly passing along??

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M.P.

answers from Provo on

I never really thought that it was the actual cause. I think that genetics along with our modern chemical filled society brings these sort of things on. I personally still will keep my son on his alternative vaccine schedule, just because I don't like how many chemicals and gross things are shoved into one shot. I do believe that they are a good thing to our society, but wish that they were naturally spread out more. But, I found a doctor who is very willing to do what I think is best for my son when it comes to vaccines, so I'm happy.

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P.M.

answers from Portland on

Fear is a powerful motivator, and once it has taken root, it's hard to eradicate through reason alone. I know a few people whose fear of vaccines is not likely to change in the short run.

In the long run, it may simply become necessary for many parents to have fear-inducing or tragic bouts of infectious illness in the family or neighborhood to become aware of how serious the illnesses are that the vaccines can mitigate or avoid altogether. That would be sad.

But one thing that surprises me is that there is no real move by the producers of vaccines to use a non-mercury-based preservative for the vaccines they produce. There are limited quantities of such vaccines available, so it is apparently possible, and I have not been able to research reasons why this change isn't happening. While there is no evidence that the preservative causes autism (about the same proportion of unvaccinated kids get autism at the same ages), it does seem reasonable to find a better preservative if possible, especially because so many families avoid vaccination because of the perceived threat of mercury.

We are living in a toxic chemical soup that didn't even exist a hundred years ago, and more chemicals are coming online and being used in household products all the time. As a person who has severe health challenges from environmental chemicals, I'm personally amazed that moms who avoid vaccinating their children have no qualms about blasting every surface in their homes with germ-killing solutions, using toxic air fresheners and fabric softeners, and bombing their yards with chemical cocktails. As far as we know, these have at least as great an affect on autism and other illnesses in children.

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M.R.

answers from Columbus on

Not only debunked, but shown to be an elaborate fraud. The harm this man caused to our social fabric is outragous. He may feel so strongly about his hypothosis that he was willing to commit out and out fraud, lying about the subjects in his study, but now that we all know that he was not only a bad scientist, but was also lying, it should put this fraud to rest, but sadly, so many people have jumped on this band wagon, and are so aredently defending thier positions, that it is unlikely to change any of thier minds. They have too much to lose by admiting they are wrong.

The Tenpeny's will continue to spread this fruadulent study, and sell thier books, and will again "morph" the movement to accomodate the new revelation about the subjects in Wakefeil's study who never had autism to begin with. The whole alternative schedule theme and the vauge "vaccine injury" scare tactic were what resulted from the last revelation of Wakefield's inadequacies, so there will be a new flavor popping up soon. It is going to take widespread desease for this trend to reverse. Sad.

M.

Um, well, I just have to say, I am an adult (duh) and I have had several blood tests to check my immunity for some of these deseases I was pregnant, and I was still immune. I must be wonder woman. Also, measles were feared, and my grandfather, who lost his little sister to measles when she was only seven in about 1912, never got over it and he thought vaccinations were one of the wonders of the world. Children died, and parents feared. I have read some of that kind of stuff, I even read on one doctors website that tea tree oil can cure pertusis, and that it is a mild illness that does not really last all that long anyway...I beg to differ, I had pertusis, and I caughed for two months, peed all over myself, and pulled every muscle in my chest. It was hell, even as an adult. It just seems to me that there is a lot of backtracking going on as the foundation for this trend and movement is so broken.

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N.H.

answers from Dallas on

I have never thought that MMR caused Autism so I was not too surprised. Also, he only studied something like 12 kids...that is not enough in my book.

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3.B.

answers from Cleveland on

It sure took a LONG time to debunk! I don't know, people may think Im a little "paranoid" but I think the govt. likes to manipulate the public with what suites them best.
I believe alot of vaccines hands down are neccessary, but I belive there are some that are NOT. We as a society have gone medication crazy, thats why there are so many kids who build up immunities to antibiotics really early on. I cant say for sure that I feel MMR is the direct link to autism, but there is some strong probabilities in some families that seem to lean in that direction. I also think we pump our tiny little babies full of way too many vaccines at one time. JMO :)

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P.W.

answers from San Francisco on

My thoughts are that I hope that people will finally believe that there is no link between vaccines and autism.

Anyone who is still fearful of vaccines -- read up on the illnesses they prevent. The problem is, we've been disease-free (spoiled) for so long, we no longer have personal experience or knowledge of these deadly diseases.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

It's been debunked for years (as well as others like it)... it's just FINALLY made the news. As a matter of fact there have been over a half dozen "studies" trying to link autism and each and every single one of them has been debunked, and early on... but that doesn't stop the media from fueling the fear fire.

One of the <rolls eyes> "studies" didn't even make it past the peer review process (that's where other scientists in the field check the team's work to make sure that they followed good practice... it's a pass / fail kind of system... it doesn't test the validity of the research, it double checks that research was done CORRECTLY. Sort of like how if you polled everyone at Mass on Sunday, you would get a response that everyone is Christian. You CANNOT then say that everyone in the country is christian. Ditto, you can't poll EVERY mass held across the country and claim the same results. THAT kind of review.))

ANYHOW one of these "studies" polled a SCHOOL FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN as their sample base. Not surprisingly, they numbers were *way* off. If they had polled a school for GIFTED children, the results would have been that immunizations make kids GIFTED. ((And low and behold "giftedness" typically becomes apparent right at about 2 years as well, the "results" would have sounded as plausible to parents of gifted kids or to parents who wanted their kids to be gifted.))

Here's the problem with you Q, however. It's anecdotal and "impossible" to verify. My cousin, for example is severely autistic. My aunt, TO THIS DAY, is convinced that it was the milk he drank that made him autistic because ***in her mind*** that's when he first started showing signs. ((He IS lactose intolerant)). She didn't SEE the signs until he was a year old and started drinking cows milk. But the med profs in my family were freaked the DAY HE WAS BORN... because he "mewed". ((Meowing instead of crying is a classic early sign of autism as well as a couple other neuro problems)). But at age 1 when he was getting sick all the time he spent a lot of time at the doctors, where they found he was NOT doing the typical things that 1yos do. (Making eye contact, interacting, sitting up, etc.). So they started doing a lot more tests on him because things my Aunt didn't even see were very worrisome to THEM.

So for my aunt; Milk causes autism. No one will convice her differently, because THAT is when it "started".

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

I am so happy it has now official been outed as fradulant. If his findings were true, then other medical scientists would have come up with the same conclusion, but no one has ever found his study to be repeatable.

While I believe autism is very sad, I think it is more widely diagnosed than in the past because even small ticks on the spectrum are being picked up where as 10 years ago they wouldn't be.

I know a few children who are poorly functioning and would appear to be autistic though it hasn't been labeled that. One was caused by a high fever in his toddler hood, another was due from a seizure during birth...
it's unfortunate. But vaccines do more good than not (in my opinion).

The infant mortality rate is much better now than it was many years ago due to the advancement of vaccines. However, many of those disease are starting to reappear due to low herd-immunity from people choosing not to vaccinate.

SIDS is also a tragedy and the causes are largely unknown, though some mechanical precautions can be made, many healthy infants die in their sleep even when in a perfectly prepared environment. I believe autism could possibly be caused by a mix of environmental factors, preservatives and chemicals in food and one of those mysteries like SIDS.

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V.T.

answers from Dallas on

The Doctor was a gastrointeroligist. It was shown that he was paid around $600K by lawyers who were going to sue the pharmaceutical companies. He had a lot at stake to prove his point. The sad thing, is that a lot of money and research went into his study where it could of been spent actually researching the cause of autism. Wasn't it proven that at least 3 of the 12 cases didn't even have autism, and 5 showed signs of autism before they got the shot. I'm all for finding a cause of autism, but this man put a lot of people at risk and hurt a lot of children with his "findings", that turned out to be manufactured. I can't believe a study that only included 12 cases, that's unheard of in any other medical study. It's also interesting to point out that he can't duplicate his results. I think there is a stronger link to autism in environmental factors and I think there is something in the food our kids eat and the way these foods are processed.

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C.G.

answers from Denver on

Any report about any subject can 'conclude' any findings anyone wants them to have.

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S.M.

answers from Kansas City on

I never believed if there was any link that it would be one vaccine over another. I've always felt that over the last number of years we've pumped too many into kids too soon. I wish they would revise the schedule. I too believe that there has to be other causes either by themselves or in addition. In general, we are seeing a rise in so many allergies, skin conditions, asthma, and most any kind of condition to believe that we aren't inundated with chemicals PERIOD.

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S.F.

answers from Reno on

I was vaccinated, as was my sister, on schedule as a child (late '60s, early 70s). I needed an MMR booster in college thanks to a measles outbreak. My husband recently had to get RE-vaccinated to be accepted to our local university to attend classes. Now, he's a semester behind, as are several of my former students (I teach high school) thanks to their parents not keeping up with vaccines. For all of us, it's been a costly situation, since insurance doesn't cover vaccinations for adults.

As a new mother in the mid '90s, I had my children vaccinated, despite the now-debunked study. I even had them vaccinated against chicken pox (varicella) because my mom-in-law had no idea if my husband ever had chicken pox. It would've been very bad for him to contract it as an adult, so I vaccinated my boys to protect my husband. At 16 and 13, my sons have suffered no ill effects from being vaccinated.

I became an even stronger proponent of vaccines after reading the appalling headlines in the mid-90s of 3-5 children in our city (not where we live now) dying of whooping cough because their parents chose not to vaccinate (a similar event recently happened in California). I feel horribly for those families. Even so, the question I keep wondering is: were their convictions worth their children's life? Harsh? Probably, but I still wonder.

Last, I teach history. I've read journals of mothers throughout history who have lost their children to the diseases we now vaccinate against. Up to 3 children in 5 did not live to start school at age 5. So, a mom could have 10 children and only expect 4-5 of them reach adulthood. Can you imagine burying so many babies of your own? As recently as the 1950s, polio was a killer and parents feared it as much as moms in the 1850s feared measles, mumps, rubella, etc. Remember Helen Keller? She was a normal little girl until she had a bad case of scarlet fever as a child. The disease rendered her deaf and blind and, because no one could "reach" her, mute. It took Annie Sullivan to break through the walls scarlet fever imposed on Helen's life. Today, we vaccinate against scarlet fever.

For me, vaccinations were a no brainer. For my husband, it was not so clear and we argued bitterly over the subject...and we RARELY argue bitterly. It was the one and only time in 20 years of marriage that I pulled "mommy rank" on him and vaccinated over his objections. Additionally, ALL of our friends had children, all vaccinated (including those in the medical profession) and NONE had issues . According to the (de-bunked) studies, at least one of our children should've had autism and that was not the case. Luck? You decide.

The bottom line is that, like everything we do in life, there's a risk associated with the action. It's up to you, as mom, to decide if the risk is worth it. As I'm sure you've read in your responses, some are emphatically against vaccination and some, like me, are strongly for it.

Sorry. I wish I had a better answer for you. Good luck.

EDIT: Apologies, mamas...I thought rubella was scarlet fever. It is not. Rubella is German Measles. Consequently, the Helen Keller example is incorrect.

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E.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Never believed it to begin with but am pretty sure that since it was out there it will be nearly impossible to change people's minds. One grain of doubt can balloon into global hysteria. You can't reign that in by publicly debunking a paper or revoking a man's medical license. *sigh*

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B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

hasn't changed my mind on delaying vaccinations in children. Vaccinations contain poisons, harmful chemicals and things we would NEVER expose our children to on a daily basis, yet people think its ok to give kids these vaccinations 4 at a time in a 2mo old baby! Its a chemical cocktail and it is not good!

we DO vaccinate, but on our own schedule. Nothing until after 6mos+, no MMr until after age 3, no chicken pox, no hep A, never ever ever get a flu shot. One shot at a time and at least 2mos between shots.

I don't think vaccines CAUSE autism, but I do think that the chemical cocktail triggers autism in children who are predisposed to it. Parents should always educate themselves and learn the facts, ingredients, and how to delay vaccinations to get the best information.

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A.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

This is a bit of a re-post, so I apologize if you read it under "vaccinations"...

Even if vaccines don't "cause" autism, it certainly is not outside of the realm of possibility that it could be a trigger for issues, plus there are other serious effects to consider.

Many of the ingredients in almost ALL of the vaccinations manufactured today (confirmed on the CDC website) are ones that we avoid because they have been PROVEN to influence behavior, learning, development, moods and overall health. These include, but are not limited to, preservatives, MSG, aluminum (not tested/proven safe at any level when taken internally) animal proteins and even aborted fetal cell lines (which presents a separate ethical issue for us). If some of these things can be problematic when inhaled, eaten, etc I have great concerns about their effects on the human body when injected directly into the bloodstream - especially that of a baby or child.

Some say kids get vaxed and they are fine. Perhaps. But I look around and see exponentially higher numbers of illnesses, learning disabilities, behavior issues, and a host of other labels that were not issues in the past when kids were only given 12 shots in their childhood. Now kids get 30 before they're 2 years old. In spite of all our advanced "healthcare", this is the most unhealthy generation!

Now, I'm not so naive to think vaccinations are the causes of all of these things. Our environment is toxic. Kids eat junk and food laden with chemicals, pesticides and genetically modified ingredients. They don't exercise. People use chemical cleaners in their homes. Many have emotional issues due to individual circumstances. Poor eating / living habits are passed on through family histories, affecting genetics. All I'm saying is there is absolutely a cumulative effect to all of this. I just want to encourage families to consider these things in conjunction with vaccine research from both sides.

ALSO - do not limit your research to one source - ever. Please bear in mind that all information is biased to the source and compare notes diligently before making a decision of this magnitude.

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A.N.

answers from Bloomington on

My son has autism. Whether or not it was caused/triggered by vaccines, who knows. The thing I appreiciate about the study (whether it was bogus or not) is that it gave me the thought that I should be researching what I let be injected into my child. I have since read books about vaccines and made informed decisions about which shots I choose to have my children recieve and when. I am not anti vaccine, but pro-knowledge, rather. I was only 20 when I had my first child and thought - everything the doctor says must be right. I have since learned a lot and feel very positive about the delayed schedule we are using now.

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E.A.

answers from Atlanta on

People from other countries which commonly face diseases we once eradicated through vaccinations think the U.S. is crazy--absolutely crazy--to have this controversy. Sadly, I fear it will take a sudden but massive outbreak with a large scale death toll to achieve a "re-education" about the value of pre-ventative vaccinations.

The arguments about avoiding vaccinations because they contain harmful ingredients is akin to saying 'Don't brush your teeth because toothpaste contains fluoride'. Seriously?!

Our society has evolved into one which wants to blame someone or something else for when things don't turn out "perfectly". If a child is born with a disability, our first response is to blame the doctors. If our children are truant and disrespectful, blame the schools. If society is violent and materialistic, blame the television. Ya' know, its sunny today but a little too cold--I think I'll blame the weatherman, after all he's the one responsible, right?!

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L.A.

answers from Austin on

It has to be mostly genetics..

Hearing our grandparents talk about past family members that never married, could not finish school, always lived at home with their parents, were just though of as odd or different.. Explains a lot now..

Autism can now be diagnosed and with intervention these children can find a place in todays society. We now know many of them are gifted and especially gifted with technology.. it is actually pretty amazing.. They are also now meeting others like themselves or are high functioning and having children... thus more Autistic children are born every year..

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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

No, sadly research results do not seem to change the minds of people without a solid grasp of the scientific method. This could be a failing of our science classes - I do not think many high schools adequately teach the scientific method because they are too busy concentrating on specific topics in science. Look at Echinacea - debunked for colds, published in the New England Journal, good follow studies and publicity in the NY Times. And sales were up 7% last year. People seem to believe that the fact that they know someone with autism who was vaccinated is of some statistical significance.
To Martha M - 450 kids a day die of measles
'The Measles Initiative announced today that measles deaths worldwide fell by 78% between 2000 and 2008, from an estimated 733 000 in 2000 to 164 000 in 2008. However, global immunization experts warn of a resurgence in measles deaths if vaccination efforts are not sustained.'

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J.B.

answers from New York on

All I know is that my 2 year old son has had every vaccine recommended by the CDC on time and he is a perfectly happy, healthy toddler. Everyone I know has had their vaccines are dont have autism. I also know that my MILs friend never got her child the MMR vaccine because of fears and her son contracted measels at an early age and now is sterile as a permanet effect of the disease.

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R.R.

answers from Dallas on

Sorry - just need to clear something up here. We do NOT vaccinate against scarlet fever. Scarlet fever, by the way, is a by product of strep throat, which is why it is so vitally important to have strep throat treated by antibiotics. Guess how I found that out? Both my daughter and I have both had "scarlet fever" - only the doctors now carefully call it "scarletina" because of the fine red rash. Antibiotics clear it right up. It is the invention of antibiotics that has gotten scarlet fever under control, not vaccinations. And please, I mean no disrespect to the poster.

My 4 kids have all been vaccinated on schedule. An awful lot of things go on during that first year. It could be anything from a weird allergic reaction to some sort of preservative in foods to usually benign gasses from autos. I don't believe personally that it is from vaccinations.

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J.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

I just wanted to add that my 8 year old has autism and showed sings since she was a young infant. I don't think the vaccine causes Autism but I think it can cause nasty vaccine injuries.

I also don't trust the vaccines.

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L.N.

answers from New York on

I only wish the money being spent on 'debunking' anything were to spent on finding the cause AND cure for autism. Now wouldn't that be awesome.
It does not change my opinion. I ignore such 'news' or discussions. I still am selective with my kids' vaccines (yes they get them, no they don't get all of them, and yes i request splitting them and if rejected I switch pediatricians. we have never had problems with schools etc).

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H.*.

answers from Modesto on

All we know is what the media allows us to know. Raise your children to be the next great scientists, doctors and truth seekers. Once something makes the news and the different commentators put their take on it, we make our decisions. None of us REALLY KNOW what's going on. We are given choices to believe whatever or whomever we want to. That's about it. Even reading current propaganda on anything can still be biased. Life is a gamble and the choices we make are our deck of cards.

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A.C.

answers from Atlanta on

Check out this article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F20...

What is the cause of autism? No one knows. We know there is a genetic component - that identical twins are more likely to both have autism than fraternal twins, and that siblings are more likely to all have autism than next-door-neighbors. But we don't know what triggers it. I hope to God that someday, we will. In the meantime, we continue to pump harmful chemicals into our bodies, not just with vaccines but with cleaning supplies, pesticides, building supplies for homes and furniture, cosmetics, etc. Instead of fighting one vaccine, we need to rise up and demand that companies worldwide provide safe, non-toxic products.

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T.J.

answers from Seattle on

There was some good coverage on CNN yesterday with dr.sanjay Gupta and a dad whose daughter suffered a violent reaction to mmr and is autistic. I still believe that most of our vaccinations have horrible ingredients and can cause problems. I think the industry he was questioning has too much money at take to let him prove anything so they've done all they could to debunk his study. I don't know that mmr exclusively causes autism, but there was that other case where they agreed it may have in that other little girl. I've seen another study of unvaccinated children and not a single one had autism.

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R.K.

answers from New York on

Dear Amy... THERE IS NO ABORTED FETAL TISSUE IN VACCINES! http://www.drwile.com/lnkpages/render.asp?vac_abortion
http://www.immunizationinfo.org/issues/vaccine-components...
Please get your facts right. There are some vaccines which originally 35 years ago were cultures on legally obtained abortions. You can not inject human tissue into a human body it will attack and reject it. Shhesh. Why do you think people who have heart transplants have to take all those drugs.

To the question at hand. Hasn't changed a thing for me. People in other parts of the world die every day because they have no access to the vaccinations we have. These are terrible diseases and the vaccinations came about because people died all too often. If my 8 month old gets some horrible life threatening disease from an unvaccinated kid I will be suing the parents! The man who faked that report has done irreparable damage to the vaccination of kids in this country. And given false hope to many parents who have kids with autism. He has set the research on autism back years. Stupid man.
Peace

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N.S.

answers from Austin on

I did not bother to read most of the many opinions here, but I think the bottom line with the re-emergence of the fraudulent nature of this study is not to educate, encourage, or even reveal truth. It is simply to add more fuel to a fire that cannot be extinguished.

The debate and strong emotions surrounding vaccinations has nothing to do with Andrew Wakefield's questionable methodology, it is about children, public health, private health, politics, money, and most importantly the fundamental human right of individual choice!

There are inflated and inflammatory arguments on both sides!

No matter what your personal experience, or what you believe or choose to do as a matter of health or preventive medicine for you or your children, you should NEVER make such an important decision based solely on politically and monetarily driven government mandates. Doctors, scientists, and creators of public policy DO NOT know everything!

Read, research, talk to other people, then do it all some more and then take a long hard look at your child, their needs, their individual tolerances, and their overall health and feel confident that you acted as a responsible and educated parent and not an automaton of the CDC!

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A.G.

answers from Houston on

that report was completely bogus, they worded it so perfectly as to not really say anything at all. There are types of autism that are brought on by allergies, there are types of allergies that are caused from a tampering with the immune system.

it doe not take a genius to figure out what comes next.

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L.M.

answers from Dover on

My kids are always vaccinated on schedule (age 19 and 4) and have NO problems. I don't believe they cause autism however like anything they can have side effects. I do believe that some children that are autistic may have the side effect of making their condition obvious/become symptomatic (but not causatory).

I can see how someone whose child did not show the symptoms prior to the vaccine would think it was a result of the shot but honestly they can't know that their child would not have begun showing the signs without the shot AND the MMR shot is given around the time that autism can be diagnosed anyway.

The report did not affect my opinion. Debunking it did not change my opinion.

The only vaccine that I don't support is the H1N1 vaccine and since it is now included in the regular flu vaccine, we pass on that too. I don't believe enough is known about the long term effects of the H1N1 vaccine.

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J.V.

answers from Raleigh on

For anyone to tell you what you should or shouldn't do is WRONG! You should do what YOU think is best. I posted a similar post not too long ago about vaccinations and someone sent me this link...hope it helps good luck!

Immunize for Good
www.immunizeforgood.com

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L.L.

answers from Topeka on

I have kids that have been vaccinated since birth they haven't had no allergic reactions to the vaccine nor any side effects.They are healthy thriving children.I know of a chiroptractor who is a huge believer in not vaccinating he didn't with his own 2 kids but come to fine out his son has Autism he wasn't vaccinated.As a mom I want my children to be protected from such diseases that others bring back from other parts of the world,if they get sick we go to the Dr we trust the Drs to tell us,however they don't have the time to tell us everythig we need or want to know in this case vaccines we look at others & see what the trend is to vaccinate or not why or why not the casue of their childs Autism or like disorder a horrible allergic reaction.I believe that some kids shouldn't be vaccinated that is,becasue it can cause them to have an allergic reaction,a chain effect to link it to Autism & Genetics.I fear having anymore children because of Autism so many kids are beeing diagnosed with it i'm fortunate to have 3 kids whom aren't.There has to be a cause probably several to why there is such a disorder as Austim that it is effecting our babies our children.The MMR vaccine was debunked there was no proof that it was the cause to Autism I hope everday that the news will come on saying we have found the cause & it is ----------------- & we as a whole can all come together & hope for a cure we know the cause now finding a cure.
This isn't something that will go away it will remain for years to come.So do you vaccinate your kids?

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A.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

I think this man did an horrible injustice to a lot of people and I think parents that lost babies due to preventable diseases should get together in a class action lawsuit and sue his pants off!

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K.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Considering that this study results has never been replicated in the years that people have believed it to be true, and all studies trying to have since proved the findings to be false, makes it really a moot point. It doesn't matter that it's a fraud because years ago it was found to be untrue but MULTIPLE pieces of research. This is the ONLY study saying that vaccines have anything to do with Autism. NO OTHER STUDY HAS EVER SAID THAT! The fact that people even still want to believe it, I personally think, shows how much people don't like to find valid research that has been peer-reviewed and duplicated a number of times to make their decisions and instead turn their focus to some over opinionated "doctors" and the media for their "research" instead. What makes me more frustrated is that the media didn't bother to say anything about the duplicate research showing how untrue it was before all this information came out about him being unethical. Up until then it was "This one doctor must be write and the many other researchers are wrong." Our logic is so backwards sometimes. I would be more worried about allergic reactions to vaccines then autism.

Sorry, that was my rant for the day. Sorry if I offended anyone, but I find it to be touchy for me and you did ask.

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...

answers from Phoenix on

I kind of thought that if there was a link, then there would be more cases. My kids, unfortunately, had allergic reactions. I'm doing the delayed vaccinations but two of my kids have bad food allergies so I'm worried... it's the allergic reaction that I'm worried about. I'm allergic too and so is my grandmother. I wish they made hypoallergenic

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