Study Linking MMR and Autism Retracted

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/02/03/mmr-autism-scare-research-is-withdrawn-115875-22014944/

A major medical journal in Britian has retracted a study linking the MMR vaccine and autism.  The reason for this is that it has been proven that Wakefield, the doctor behind the research, acted unethically during the study.  Wakefield took blood samples from children at his son’s birthday party, while paying them money for their assistance.  Other unethical practices were also conducted.

Because of this study thousands of parents around the globe have stopped giving their children the MMR vaccine, or are at least delaying the shot.  Many of us remember seeing Jenny McCarthy on Oprah, or being interviewed by Barbara Walters, about her son’s onset of autism, and how it appeared right after the MMR vaccine.  Book after book has been written on this subject, and in addition, study after study since then has shown that their is no link between the two.  But some of us, including myself, question how this can be true.

In February of 2008, the United States Government conceded(quietly) a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/government-concedes-vacci_b_88323.html
The doctors in this case conceded that the child that developed autism was developing completely normally until her 18 month checkup.  At her checkup she received 9 different vaccines that are normally given at this visit.  Two of these contained thimerosal.  Only days later, this child began to develop a series of symptoms from loss of language skills, incessant screaming, all the way to no eye contact.  This little girl was diagnosed with autism.  The concession by the doctors stated, “The vaccines received on July 19, 2000, significantly aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disorder, which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of ASD.”

How many other times have we heard this same story?  Do you think that the article retracting the MMR-Autism link study will change the mind of parents who are waiting or not giving the MMR vaccine?  I don’t really think so.  I know it hasn’t changed my mind.  I vaccinate my son, but I follow the Dr. Sears vaccine schedule.  It wasn’t a decision we went lightly into, but it is one that I think was right for our son.  Nick will get the MMR vaccine, but we will wait until before he is about to enter into school to receive it.  This will allow his immune system a little more time to mature.  Hopefully by then, there will be even more studies.  If it is true that any problems with a child’s immune system can possibly be sparked by certain vaccines, this makes it very scary with the number of vaccines that our children are exposed to at their well visits.  I am not saying that there is a link, I am just saying that after you do the research I hope that you can make a well informed decision.