Refuting the Autism-Vaccine Link - Research Paper Example

? Refuting the Autism-Vaccine Link Amber Calixto Nevada College Refuting the Autism-Vaccine Link Vaccines containing mercury were found to have harmful effects on the human nervous system; as a result there has been constant effort to avoid using it as a preservative in vaccines for children. With this being said, there was no evidence of vaccines with mercury causing Autism or having a link with Autism until Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a British Gastroenterologist, published an article in The Lancet, pointing a link between the MMR vaccine and Autism (Kemp and Hart, 2010). Ever since Dr. Wakefield brought into light the link between Autism and the MMR vaccine, the medical world has been thrown into controversy. Charges and counter charges have been made with no clear theory on the validity of the allegation. The medical fraternity, in which Dr. Wakefield was a member, was split into camps with some denying the link and some supporting Dr. Wakefield’s claim. To go by the facts, Dr. Wakefield along with his colleagues found that MMR immunization caused side effects like developing “intestinal symptoms and subsequent autistic regression” (Kemp & Hart, 2010, para 3) in patients immediately after the immunization. The article that they published, claiming the link between Autism and the MMR vaccine, created havoc as parents showed full resistance to the immunization process of their babies (Kemp & Hart, 2010). Parents also questioned the use of thimerosal, a by-product of mercury, as a preservative in the vaccine. Following Wakefield’s findings, further studies have been conducted regarding this issue and the result was again a mixed response. Though no substantial evidence of the link could be established, the theory of the harmful effect of thimerosal could not be dispellel. This paper will weigh the different postulations for and against the allegation that vaccines, in particular the MMR vaccine, cause Autism. I will concentrate on the different perspectives related to the controversy. It would focus on issues supporting the allegation like the cover up policy of CDC on the Autism-vaccine true picture, the unprecedented use of thimerosal in vaccines for commercial reasons; as well as on the opposite views that nullifies the claim on the basis of lack of evidence and research findings. Considering the absence of substantial proof about the possible link, I could not support Wakefield’s theory. In placing my argument refuting the link between Autism and the MMR vaccine, I will focus on unbiased concrete data based research outcomes and established theories. Claims That Autism is Linked to Vaccines Following Dr Wakefield’s claim, there has been a spate of studies on the same topic (Kemp & Hart, 2010). A number of scientists and research professionals have claimed the authenticity of Wakefield’s finding. Their support of the theory is based on certain research outcomes that indicate a possible link between Autism and the MMR vaccine, containing thimerosal (mercury) and aluminium. They claim that the MMR vaccine is the main reason for the growing rate of Autism in children. The proponents of the possible link explain that as the onset of Autism is determined to be at the age of 2 years, also the age at which MMR immunization is done; there is every possibility of Autism being caused by MMR vaccine. The Culprit Vaccine Habakus (2011, p. 1954) records show that out of 163 articles on the Autism-vaccine issue, 43 of the researched papers theorized in favour of the possible link. He is implying that there is a big population among researchers who have suspected the possible effect of the MMR vaccine in causing Autism. Habakus believes that the government and media are conjointly suppressing the research implications of Autism-vaccine link and highlighting those that refute any such possibility. Habakus (2011) concentrates on certain factual details, concrete findings and also draws relevant evidences and builds his argument on them. He starts his case by pointing out the incident in which ten out of thirteen infants, suffering from umbilical cord infection, died after thimerosal-based antiseptic was applied on their skin. Habakus (2011) argues that the dosage of thimerosal prescribed for adults is not applicable for new born babies or infants because their organs and immunity system are immature and not completely developed. The toxic element could not be excreted and gets absorbed in the body with lethal consequences. With such known effects of thimerosal, there is every possibility that vaccines with this mercury compound can greatly damage the neurological system of small children and cause developmental disorder, Autism, and speech problem. Though he points out the adverse effect of thimerosa- based vaccines in generand he specifically mentions the MMR vaccine to be the primary cause of Autism.  To establish his point, Habakus (2011, p. 1956) takes up the much debated question about the harmful effects of mercury on children. He resorts to the theory of elimination and points out that the toxin has to affect children below two years for them to develop Autism and also the toxin has to “have a gender bias” (Habakus, 2011, p. 1956), meaning it affects more boys than girls. Moreover, as there is almost zero probability of children below two years of getting exposed to factory produced toxin or any other toxins used for elective reasons, it makes thimerosal the probable suspect (Habakus, 2011). Habakus claims that only mercury fits into these categories. Furthermore, studies have pointed out that the number of Autism cases have increased as well as decreased in direct proportion to the use or phasing out of thimerosal in the vaccines (Ong-Dean, 2009).  Habakus accuses the CDC (Centres of Disease Control and Preventions) of providing misleading statements and guidance regarding Autism-vaccine link (2011). He particularly draws attention to the changed version of CDC’s observation of the link. Earlier CDC had stated that there was “no evidence of harm” but in its recent statement it claims that there is “no convincing evidence of harm” (Habakus, 2011, p. 1954). CDC’s second statement clearly indicates that the government is aware of some information regarding autism-vaccine link, but refusing to acknowledge it in the absence of substantial proof. Habakus claims that the government should not dodge such a serious issue but reach to its bottom to find a solution. Habakus refers to the case that was reported by Sharyl Atkinson, of CBS News, where the government had given such statements, in regards to Hannah, a little girl, who had mitochondrial disorder which didn’t cause but resulted in her Autism. Habakus also blames the media as an accomplice to this game of hypocrisy, which is putting every child’s life in danger. According to Habakus, media is not challenging the government’s stand on the basis of counter arguments. Furthermore, it is not giving any importance to the claims of the link theory supporters. Habakus assumes that the press is working on the instruction of the government to not give equal weight to the anti-vaccine stand. Media has the power to exert great influence and should aim to use that power to reveal the truth and create awareness. Habakus indicates that media can indeed establish the truth of the autism vaccine link by being proactive in unearthing relevant information. It can make the government accountable for continuing the use of the vaccine and catapulting the autism rate in children. CDC Cover-up Klotter (2006) has taken up the issue of the CDC cover-up policy on the Autism-vaccine link. He draws reference from the investigation undertaken by Robert F. Kennedy, Environmental Attorney who got hold of valuable and extremely informative transcripts of CDC by using the Freedom of Information Act. The data that he gathered revealed the fact that the CDC knew about the possibility of the link between Autism and the MMR vaccine. Given that the CDC had been refuting the link in public, one can easily question the reason behind the cover-up act of such important information. Klotter (2006) has given a detailed account of the incident where the CDC held a confidential meeting with government scientists, officials from CDC and FDA, vaccine specialists and representatives from the World Health Organisation. He claims that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the outcome of the study undertaken by Epidemiologist, Tom Verstraeten. The study showed the link between thimerosal and neurological disorders like “speech delays, attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and Autism” (Klotter, 2006, para. 2). It was unanimously decided that the study developments could not be brought to the public and the reasons that were cited were: lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies and the consequent economic effect and public distrust on life-saving vaccines thereby putting at stake the lives of children. On these grounds the CDC undertook a series of actions to make the study document unavailable for further research (Klotter, 2006). Klotter further accuses the CDC of paying off the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to undertake a research project that would deny the Autism-vaccine link. In fact Kennedy was also able to gain access to the transcripts of the IOM’s Safety Review Committee Meeting and found that the IOM too was also up to suppressing the original data. The transcripts reveal that in the Safety Review Committee Meeting, held in January 2001, the committee chairman Dr. Marie McCormick clearly stated that the committee would not encourage any findings, which would point autism as the true side effect of the vaccine. Monetary Reasons Klotter (2006) points out other relevant incidents where thimerosal was present in vaccines was considered as a possible threat to children. As in the case with Dr Maurice Hilleman, his plea to cease the use of thimerosal in the vaccines for children was rejected on the grounds of financial loss, because thimerosal acts as preservative in vaccines packed in multi dose vials. Its removal would mean packing the vaccines in single dose vials, which would cost more. This study about the Hilleman case was conducted by Kennedy for which he was badly criticised. Besides Kennedy’s published article on the Hilleman incident, there is a House Government Reform Committee Report in 2003 that explicitly confirmed the link between Autism and vaccines and also pointed out that the government’s blindfolded trust and patronising of the pharmaceutical companies was misplaced (Klotter, 2006). Thimerosal is not the Culprit Although there have been researches proving the harmful effects of mercury, which is present in most vaccines; on the health of children it’s not yet proved that mercury is the cause of Autism (Normand, 2007). Moreover, in spite of substantial research on the Autism vaccine link, no comprehensive proof could be obtained that would point out the correlation between the application of particularly the MMR vaccine and the onset of Autism. Even if there is a correlation, that does not verify any kind of causal relationship between Autism and the vaccine (Normand, 2007). Research investigations on the composition of mercury and its ill effects on human body show that thimerosal is ethylmercury and the body does not absorb it, but rather expels it. It is methyl mercury that has harmful consequences on human neurological system. However, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) issued guidelines regarding the effect of mercury (applied for both compounds of mercury) on human health. During the same time there was an increase in the number of Autism cases that correlated Autism with the application of the MMR vaccine (Normand, 2007). To find out the effect of thimerosal in developing Autism, an experiment was carried out in Denmark and Sweden in which thimerosal was removed from being used in the vaccine; however, the rate of the Autism cases did not drop. This is one study that indicates that there is no possible link between thimerosal and Autism (Normand, 2007).  Wrong Notion/Fraudulence According to Poland (2011) no considerable evidence exists,slinking Autism to MMR vaccine and he fears that such wrong notion would spread more ignorance about the vaccine that would harm children’s health. He questions the ethical responsibility of Wakefield who first pointed out the link between Autism and the MMR vaccine. Wakefield was also charged with dishonesty and fraudulence in regards to his Autism vaccine theory, by the British General Medical Council (Poland, 2011, para 3). Moreover, in trying to reach to the bottom of the allegation Poland tries to analyse the continuation of the Autism-vaccine myth. According to Poland, media tends to give more importance to controversial statements. The moment the Pace Environmental Law Review surfaced with the observation that “vaccine-induced encephalopathy and seizure disorder may be associated with Autism” (Poland, 2011, para. 4) the media had a frenzy. According to the research experiments in which Smeeth and colleagues conducted a comparative study among the different groups of children, it was found that the risk of developing Autism was the same in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated children (Kemp and Hart, 2010). The study undertaken by Fombonne and colleagues was carried on a large population of children among whom there were children with PDD (Personality Development Disorder). However, the findings show that the PDD cases are higher in unvaccinated children than in the vaccinated ones.  Refuting the Link of Autism and Vaccines There are arguments on both sides that have been provided with substantial proof (Habakus, 2011). The argument put forward by the supporters of the Autism vaccine link are apparently based on evidence, but it’s not sufficient to hypothesize regarding the validity of the link. There has been the tendency to attack thimerosal in MMR vaccine as the main culprit that develops Autism in children. Nevertheless, counter research studies have nullified the claim that MMR vaccine with thimerosal is not responsible for causing Autism (Normand, 2007), although mercury does have a negative effect on human health, there is no Autism-vaccine link. The link has been established on the basis of assumptions and no solid proof and therefore remains questionable. The assumption too has its limitations, as it cannot generalise vaccines containing mercury as the cause of Autism, in the absence of any researched evidence. Autism was considerably linked to the MMR vaccine only.  The adverse effect of such kind of allegation influences the whole system of health (Kemp and Hart, 2010). Accusing a vaccine without proper grounds and halting its manufacturing would affect the general well being of children. At the focus of the debate are the lives of children and any allegation needs to be based on evidence and not assumption. Vaccines are meant to be life-saving and as many as 10 vaccines work against 14 diseases. This data proves the efficacy of vaccines. It is the primary reason for a radical decrease in the mortality rate in children. The allegations that have been brought against all the health departments like CDC, IOM and EPA lack evidence (Klotter, 2006). Moreover, questioning their trustworthiness in covering up such important data could not be justified. There might be issues with pharmaceutical companies being profit oriented, but the whole story of the secret meeting and subsequent cover up doesn’t stand much chance in scoring higher in the argument for the sake of the controversy. There was no proof that the CDC or the IOM was hiding any data. A multitude of research activities have been trying to locate the possible link between Autism and vaccine (Normand, 2007). A lot of new information has surfaced. For example, there are two compounds of mercury out of which one causes damage while the other does not. These findings contribute a great deal in coming closer to the truth, but till now nothing comprehensive has been found out. Consequently, there is absolutely no good reason to hold the vaccine culpable. Media has played an important part in this issue by highlighting many times the claim that Autism is linked to vaccines. Due to media coverage there has been panic and fear in people. Many parents who put the blame on vaccines, in particular, the MMR vaccine, and thereby stopped the vaccination process of their children. It has been noticed that some parents would consider the vaccine as the real reason behind Autism and completely rule out the fact that it could be a genetic trait (Ong-Dean, 2009). However, the trend of preventing immunisation can be detrimental for children, as well as for the whole population. Moreover, the opponents of the MMR vaccine could only point out specific cases but what about the other children who were vaccinated during the same time? If the Autism-vaccine link exists, then there should be studies done on those children as well, in order to fully link Autism to the vaccine. Conclusion In conclusion, it could be said there is no firm ground on which to establish the link between Autism and vaccines (Klotter, 2006 & Ong-Dean, 2009). Research studies have been carried out from both directions. According to some researches, although vaccines containing mercury are harmful, this gives no reliable evidence regarding the Autism-vaccine link. There is yet no solution to the controversy which is getting more complicated with charges and counter charges. Vaccines were meant to have life-saving purposes and indeed have successfully decreased mortality rate in children, so before rejecting a particular vaccine there must be solid evidence against it. Allegations were brought in by the opponent group who suspected foul play regarding information related to Autism was silenced. Though the supporters of the link theory refer to specific events, they cannot cite them as complete evidence. Moreover, there is no proof of their accusation. The supporters of the vaccine link theory have based their observation on pure assumption, which has no value and meaning in establishing a hypothesis. The correlation between Autism and the MMR vaccine cannot be justified to establish a causal relation between them. It becomes pretty evident against this context that there is so far no possible link between Autism and the MMR vaccine; furthermore, under the given premises any attempt to do so would be scientific fallacy. References Dallery, J. & Normand, M. (2007). Mercury rising: Exposing the vaccine-autism myth. Skeptic. 13, 32-36. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-169876231.html Habakus, L. K. (2011). Vaccine epidemic: How corporate greed, biased science, and coercive government threaten our human rights, our health, and our children. New York: Skyhorse Publishing Inc. Hart, B. & Kemp, M. (2010). MMR vaccine and autism: Is there a link? Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. 23(6), 48-50. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2084200021.html Klotter, J. (2006). Thimerosal, vaccines, and autism. (vaccine preservatives and thimersoal link with Autism). Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine. 273 (28). Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-144016812.html Ong-Dean, C. (2009). Distinguishing disability: Parents, privilege, and special education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Poland, G. A. (2011). MMR vaccine and autism: Vaccine nihilism and postmodern science. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 86 (9), 869-871. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2439090511.html Read More