Immunization shots, pros and cons. Information on both the risks and benefits. How to chose what is best for your kids.
Since there has been a link between some neurological disorders and childhood immunizations, some parents have taken it upon themselves to quit vaccinating their kids. Yes, there are laws to protect us, but many parents are claiming religious grounds for refusing childhood immunizations for their sons and daughters. This is a very scary scenario. What if, by not immunizing children, there is an onslaught of polio, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, and a host of other preventable diseases?
There are even web sites that instruct parents on how to refuse vaccinations based on a religious conflict. Many of these places even give step by step instructions on how to compose the appropriate letter and where to send it. This is scary! Even if there is some possibility of a link, all parents must really tread carefully.
Autism and other learning disabilities have been linked to immunizations, but there is still no definite scientific data to support this claim by many doctors and other qualified professionals. Some experts and parents think that the rise in Autism, Dyslexia, Tourette's Syndrome, ADD, and ADHD correlates with the time that the world began administering vaccines to children- in the sixties.
For example, in the first book that linked health problems to immunizations, DPT: A Shot in the Dark, Coulter and Fisher, the authors, estimated that 12,000 to 15,000 cases of severe neurological damage are caused by childhood vaccines each year. Coulter went on to site the following: "One child in five or six is affected to some degree by the vaccination ... about 20 percent of the population." Of course we must remember that many children only get fussy or have mild flu symptoms, this accounts for much of that twenty percent.
Here is the current U.S. schedule of immunizations for children, which has not been changed since 1996:
Immunization Schedules
Age Procedure
2 weeks Hepatitis B #1 (if not given at birth)
2 months Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus (DPT) #1, Oral Polio #1, Hepatitis #2; Hib #1.
4 Months DPT #2; Hib #2; Oral Polio #2.
6 Months DPT #3; Hib #2; Oral Polio #3.
9 Months DPT #4; Hib #3; Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)#1; TB Test
4 years Boosters for DPT; Oral Polio and MMR.
Much of the vaccine controversy centers on the toxins found in the immunizations. The possibility of effects from vaccines can't and shouldn't be ignored, but more scientific data is necessary before risking an entire world population to deadly illnesses that we can prevent. Remember too that these toxic chemicals, elements, and animal matter are all found in trace amounts that are considered to be safe levels worldwide by the medical community.
Here is a list of toxins taken from an article, which was taken from 1997 Conference Proceedings "Living & Learning with Autism: Perspectives from the Individual, the Family and the Professional"
From the Preparation of the Vaccine - These are used to kill bacteria
Antibiotics (like Neomycin)
Formaldehyde
Additives
Aluminum salts
Preservatives such as thimersal (contains mercury)
Lactalbumin
Residues from Growth Media
Eggs
African Green Monkey Kidney (Polio vaccine)
Other animals
From The Vaccine Guide: Making An Informed Choice by Randall Neustaedter:
Vaccine Ingredients:
Thimersol (mercury disinfectant/preservative)
Aluminum (additive to promote antibody response)
Formaldehyde (disinfectant)
Phenol (disinfectant, dye)
Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
Benzethonium chloride (antiseptic)
Methylparaben (anti-fungal, preservative)"
U.S. and British soldiers that were vaccinated during the Gulf War are tragic examples of the serious side effects that can result from immunizations. The precise mixture of the vaccines used to protect our troops is, of course, classified but for the most part the troops were immunized against at least a dozen serious diseases. From the article "Living & Learning With Autism: Perspectives from the Individual, the Family and the Professional" we learn what those troops were vaccinated against. The list includes the following. (There are possibly even more diseases that troops were immunized against that are considered classified, so they can not be included here.)
Anthrax
Plague (Cutter)
Yellow Fever
Botulism
Hepatitis B
Cholera
Pertussis
Polio
Rubella
Tetanus
"Living & Learning with Autism: Perspectives from the Individual, the Family and the Professional" goes on to illuminate the following: "The effects of such an intense battery of vaccinations in such a short period of time could be serious indeed, particularly where the immune system is already compromised for any reason. Factors such as stress and environmental agents such as pesticides or drugs as well as genetic factors could all result in the compromising of the system."
The French troops that served with the American and British troops have not experienced these same medical problems. Curiously, they did not undergo these vaccination schedules in such a rapid time frame. There also were different insecticides used. These were semi-synthetic pyrethroids were used by France, as opposed to the organo-phosphorous compounds used by the British and Americans.
This information does make us wonder if the timing of the vaccinations and the actual ingredients in them could be a health risk. There is some evidence to suggest this, but that does not mean that we should stop protecting our kids with life-saving immunizations.
Autism and the scientific term "minimal brain damage" (ADD, ADHD, Tourette's Syndrome, and Dyslexia fall into this category roughly), while rare before mass vaccination programs began, are now widespread disorders. Could vaccinations be the link? If the soldiers in the Gulf War were effected so drastically, why is it impossible for immunizations that are given to infants to be the cause of neurological disorders in our children?
Yes, this is a plausible avenue to research, but that does not mean that we should stop immunizing our children. While we need to be knowledgeable about possible sources, we should also push for additional scientific studies and research. As parents, we would never forgive ourselves if our child contracted one of these preventable diseases simply because we disallowed life-saving vaccines. For further research on this, explore some of my sources below.
Sources:
Paul Shattock and Dawn Savery of the Autism Research Unit, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK.
1997 Conference Proceedings "Living & Learning With Autism: Perspectives from the Individual, the Family and the Professional".
Quoted References of Source:
1. Gazella, Karolyn A., Autism, Journey Out of Darkness, Health Counselor Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 6, June/July 1994.
2. Coulter, Harris, Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality, The Medical Assault on the American Brain.
3. Coulter, Harris, Ph.D., Fisher, Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality, DPT: A Shot in the Dark
4. Scheibner, Vera, Ph.D Vaccination: The Medical Assault on the Immune System.
