Vaccines And Autism
Those who keep up with the news have probably already seen this article on vaccines and autism. Parents who have felt that vaccines could be dangerous and risky for their children are both sighing with relieve at finally getting some official credit and shaking their heads that it took this long for someone to listen.
What’s unique about Hannah’s case is that for the first time federal authorities have conceded a connection between her autistic symptoms and the vaccines she received, though the connection is by no means simple. A panel of medical evaluators at the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that Hannah had been injured by vaccines — and recommended that her family be compensated for the injuries. The panel said that Hannah had an underlying cellular disorder that was aggravated by the vaccines, causing brain damage with features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
You can watch a video from Larry King Live featuring the family talking about their daughter. Their story is one that those who are opposed to vaccines know too well. A perfectly normal child, seemingly developing on schedule, suddenly declines shortly after a vaccination. Though many doctors brush off parents concerns linking the two there is still a lingering fear that A could have caused B, or at least held a large part in it as the case with Hannah Poling. For many parents choosing not to vaccinate worry of weakening a still immature immune system with the amount of chemicals that are injected into their children with each shot is a common thread. With news such as this one with Hannah and surveys such as the Cal-Oregon one it is hard not to be a little bit afraid of vaccines.
“We surveyed over 9,000 boys in California and Oregon and found that vaccinated boys had a 155% greater chance of having a neurological disorder like ADHD or autism than unvaccinated boys.” - Generation Rescue
You can read a copy of the concession filed by the US government on this case here to make up your own mind on what this ground breaking case means. You can also visit these resources to learn more about vaccines in America.
A few books worth checking on the topic of vaccines are
- How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor
- Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives
- Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Children and Adults
- Vaccines, Autism and Childhood Disorders: Crucial Data That Could Save Your Child’s Life
- Just A Little Prick
- Vaccine A
vaccines, autism, vaccinations, Hannah Poling, health
March 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
We’ve followed a delayed vaccine schedule and if a parent doesn’t wish to vaccinate their child at all I understand their fears. But I think it’s important to note that the vaccine in this case aggravated an existing disorder. It did not cause the problem.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
While that is true, it was an existing disorder that the parents did not know their daughter had and had no reason to expect.
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
[...] the recent ruling that vaccines attributed to Hannah Pollig’s autism Jenny spoke out again on autism and her son Evan for CNN.com. Through diet and detox Jenny was able [...]