MMR AND THE SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT AUTISM
By Dan Olmsted
Does the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine cause autism? I vote yes.
Of course, that’s just one man’s opinion – but one who’s spent the last three years listening to parents and enlightened pediatricians and combing through adverse events reports and just generally trying to think for himself.
Right below this post is yet another study seeming to exonerate the MMR. That sure sounds familiar – the CDCAAPFDAIOMETC have already given it multiple clean bills of health. And manufacturer Merck says no studies show any link to autistic regression.
On the right hand side of our home page is a collection of my Age of Autism columns for UPI. The one titled Pox – Part 1 of 7 installments -- sealed the deal for me as far as the MMR is concerned. I’m not going to repeat myself here except to say, there’s every reason to worry about the interaction among live viruses when you stick ‘em in the same shot and inject ‘em into 12-month-old kids. Especially kids whose immune systems are already shot thanks to vaccine mercury and other toxins, thanks to the selfsame CDCAAPFDAIOMETC.
When Merck decided to toss the chickenpox virus into the MMR mix, kids started developing autism in clinical trials; that wasn’t reported to the FDA before the drug was approved because, Merck said, the parents never got around to mentioning that their kids had regressed into autism. A few months after the Pox series appeared, Merck suspended production of that four-in-one vaccine, claiming they’d run low on chickenpox vaccine even as they launched a new shot for shingles that contains gobs of it.
The cluelessly credulous mainstream media did its usual thing – they essentially reprinted the press release about the “vaccine shortage.” Now they have a new study to “report,” reaffirming the MMR’s safety and reassuring parents.
Never mind that Merck and the pharmaceutical industry are starting to show a pattern and practice that ought to make anyone stop and think before they become stenographers for the drug companies: There’s Vioxx with its $5 billion settlement and suppressed data about the heart attacks that fell just outside the study window, causing the New England Journal of Medicine to complain; and Zetia with its delayed results that showed no protection against heart attacks even as the company convinced millions of doctors and patients to switch from cholesterol-lowering drugs that actually did work; and Eli Lilly with its Zyprexa side effects and the looming possibility of a $1 billion fine and a criminal misdemeanor plea because they tried to get doctors to prescribe it for conditions for which it was not approved. Not very nice. Not very nice at all.
And never mind that the FDA has all but admitted it's so overwhelmed and underfunded it can't reasonably be expected to do its job (the one about making sure drugs, including vaccines, are safe and effective).
The tragedy is that if the people who are supposed to protect our kids had relied less on dubious data produced by “experts” with blatant conflicts of interest, and more on common sense and the evidence of their own senses, the whole autism debacle of the 1990s through today might have been averted.
In an article titled “Adverse Events,” I wrote about some of the early warnings on file with the federal government’s VAERS database.
Here’s a report from 1992, listing Feb. 21 as both "vaccination date" and "adverse event date" for a 1-year-old boy: "Patient received MMR vaccination and experienced fever, autistic behaviors, encephalitic condition, began to tune out; sound sensitivity, hand-flapping, wheel-spinning, nighttime sweats, appetite increase."
The child's diagnoses included autism, encephalopathy (brain swelling), mental retardation, personality disorder and speech disorder.
Another report: Two days after being vaccinated in August 1994 a 1-year-old girl experienced "low fever, much discomfort. Patient lay in bed and cried and moaned; three-four days post-vaccination, rash traveled over patient's body and lasted at least one week. Within six weeks of vaccination patient was observed as losing previously gained language and social skills; diagnosed autistic."
Soon after the article was published I heard from the mother who filed that report, and I wrote a follow-up story (“Case Number 88924”): “The patient so clinically summarized in that report, Mary Jo Silva realized with a start, was her 1-year-old daughter Carmen, who fell ill the same day she got the MMR -- measles-mumps-rubella -- and Hepatitis B vaccinations at age 1.”
That’s bad. But here's the killer: A 1994 report filed by a California physician citing 10 -- yes, 10 -- children "who received vaccination and (were) diagnosed with autism and encephalopathy." That doctor reported "there are currently 10 cases of autism in children who received DPT/OPV/MMR at 15-18 months."
The real tragedy here is the dates – 1992 to 1994, just as the big wave of new mercury vaccines was crashing into America’s kids. These were but a few of the many, many missed opportunities to do what medical professionals are supposed to do – be alert and suspicious, notice something new and grab hold of it till the truth yells Uncle.
Instead, the person who took that report about 10 kids with autism who shared a specific vaccination pattern took a dismissive tone: "Dr. ... is not treating physician and does not possess any original records; unclear whether reporter [the doctor, who was identified and could have been contacted] is suggesting possible causal association."
Well, it’s pretty clear to me – doctor is suggesting causal association.
And so am I. Lest the CDC miss the point again, let's repeat it: Yes, the MMR causes autism.
--
Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism
In 2001 I was working as a Medical Assistant in a Pediatricians office. A 15 month old baby boy was brought to the office for his MMR injection. We had seen the child from birth. One of five children and perfectly happy and healthy.I gave him the injection and two weeks later his mother brought him in due to a change in behavior. He no longer responded to her or environmental stimulation, he just sat in his stroller with no response to anything or anyone in the room. He had Autism. She wrote Merck and of course they denied that this was due to the MMR vaccine. But I saw it first hand. We will not be immunizing her the way the CDC says but will space immunizations out. Giving thee MMR after age 24 months.
Brenda Thompson
Los Angeles
Posted by: Brenda Thompson | December 17, 2019 at 06:25 PM
I couldn't find the links to all the installments but here is the link to Part 7 https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2006/05/23/The-Age-of-Autism-Pox-Part-7/78691148421835/
Posted by: michael | May 04, 2019 at 02:58 PM
My 10 year old grandson was vaccinated before his 2nd birthday. Before I left that evening for my 12 hour shift as an NICU nurse his fever was 101 degrees F. The next morning I came home to sleep and checked with my daughter to see how how was. He was sleeping. When I woke up that afternoon Alex was gone. Over two days the grandson I knew who loved to be held, kissed, and who loved to say his special words was gone. The little boy we knew died that day. Nothing was the same. Alex did not talk anymore. He refused to be cuddled. He did not interact with anyone. As a family we researched the internet and found his reactions were consistent with the Autism Spectrum. We called everyone we could think of and got speech therapy and occupational therapy going as soon as possible, preferably prior to his 3rd birthday. It took 3 years to get him to nod to answers and have a vocabulary of 10 unclear words. He rarely cried or interacted to us. He did say “mama” until 6 and not often. We love this Alex we have with all our hearts. He has worked so hard to learn but know something is wrong. He is a beautiful child with a sweet nature who gets confused over the simplest of things. We do miss our baby Alex . My younger grand child makes the doctor spread out the vaccines and breaks the up. It seems to be working. This was from the vaccine regardless of wheat docs and cdc claim. You can’t get a doctor or an organization bet their entire net worth that the vaccine wasn’t the cause of Alex’s Autism. They will only say there is no evidence. How many children does it take for them to admit it is possible in those who are more subseptible?
Posted by: Lisa | May 04, 2019 at 01:49 AM
+Alex Gauger Oh really, we're facing an unstoppable wave of deadly measles, mumps and rubella are we? Quit your parroting and go look at the data yourself if you even have the mental capacity.
+Advocate Guess what, it only took almost a century before a link between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer was officially acknowledged. I'm sure a lot of whiny authoritarians sounded just like you in that long period of ignorance.
To everyone saying "anecdotal evidence is weak....blah blah"--congratulations. We're all so proud of you for learning something in your high school science class. In real life, when a parent witnesses such a drastic change immediately following a vaccination, that's an extremely important piece of information--even more so when seen over and over again. Brushing all these reports off as merely anecdotal is ridiculously moronic.
Posted by: Jay | February 13, 2019 at 01:23 PM
Our son who will be 7 in March of 2019 has not had a formal diagnosis yet he has many autism red flags like flapping, stimming, little vocabulary, chewing on things he should not, does not answer questions does not know you by face, he was first evaluated when he was 2 in a county E.I Program in Oregon, the state evaluator said he was "highly autistic" that said he like myself was born on the full moon and we both are affected by full moons and get "loony" as has been reported many kids on the spectrum do, he was acting loony the day he was evaluated and we did tell the evaluator that he does get this way around full moon, but she just blew it off and sure enough he acted like he usually does when the moon is full, so she made evaluation anyway So it may come as a surprise but to the best of our knowledge he has not had a vaccine since ever, we are very educated when it comes to "the poisoned needle" that's actually the title of a old book you can still get it on Amazon it's by Eleanora McBean, it really tells all about the whole vaccine insanity, anyhow, I can tell you as a parent of a special needs son that vaccines don't only cause Autism, there is no doubt that what is in vaccines is causing autism, so beside the mercury also found in heavy metals and Glyphosate in products like Round Up in the air we breathe, and the fact that Mercury found in Thimerosal allegedly has been removed from MMR what's left? Well I was justlooking at the MMR ingredients and was looking for a common denominator that is suspected to cause autism and it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks L-GLUTAMTE, yes glutamates, in case you don't know, too much glutamates in the brain cause the brain to go haywire It's called Glutamate Toxicity. A good article to start with is at naturallyrecoveryautism.com, so it looks now like the smoking gun is Glutamate, introduced by either a needle or a leaky gut that is not able to process the foods correctly and it passes into the bloodstream and into the brain, it's now looking like the key to healing austism is to heal the gut and that's the approach we are taking with our son we have been giving him 500mgms of Glutamine daily to repair the gut, but it may not be enough, oh I might add that probiotics plays a vital role as well but it won't work right if the gut is functioning poorly. The thing that is vital to know now is how many MMR Autism related cases are there now VS. when there was mercury in the vaccine, and has there been any change if not there you have it the L-Glutamate must be removed as well, but the toxins found in these serums will never be safe, and I have a theory and I will leave it to you to figure out the answer to the question. What motivate pharma corporations and the Elite to continue to allow something that is clearly disabling retarding and in some cases killing our children, beside financial gain?
Posted by: Truthwise | February 01, 2019 at 01:17 AM
Well done Sarah good news for me at the start of the New Year thanks.My wife and I have a boy and a girl who are totally,(nothing oral nothing by needle) unvaccinated.They are in their teens now and they complain all the time since Primary school that they "we never have days of sick from school like the rest of their classmates"-long may it continue.
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | January 04, 2019 at 05:02 AM
I have a 5 month old baby and I will never vaccinate her. There's too much evidence pointing out to facts that vaccines are ineffective, harm and kill people. Going beyond MMR, have you not researched polio yet and the BIG lie it is? Wake up people.
Posted by: Sarah Marshal | January 03, 2019 at 06:34 PM
If vaccine is grown on HUMAN ABORTED CELL , named HUMAN DIPLOID CELL MRC-5 and WI-38 the body will have an AUTOIMMUNE reaction to it. Look into vaccine ingredients https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf
STOP vaccinated with other HUMAN cell in your body, even a transplant should be a match... Get smart and stop vaccinating. Look at the ingredients in the list above, see the diploids?
Posted by: Ada | November 28, 2018 at 11:20 PM
My son at the age of 15 months was talking, eating everything that was cooked for him he was a normal 15 month old child. He went to the doctor and got his mmr shot with the 2 others and had a very bad reaction that I had to take him back to the doctor. His right upper leg swelled so bad it was hot and very red and he could not even walk on it. The doctor said he had a reaction to the shot and sent us home. The very next day my son woke up and I his mother didnt even recognize my own son. I woke up to a child that didnt talk, wouldn't look me in the eye, screamed and head butt the floor, who wouldn't eat anything. My son was a totally different child! I called the Austim center and made him an appointment and within 20 minutes of being at this appointment was told my child was autistic. That set of shots at age 15 months completely changed my sons life forever.
Posted by: Tiffanie Wallace | November 25, 2018 at 05:15 PM
I just wanted to say I agree wholeheartedly Dan and there is just too much of a plethora of information out there as well as heartbreaking stories of babies who immediately changed after this MMR shot that can be absolutely no coincidence... the ones who do t believe happen to have children this did not happen to but to undermine and discredit the parents who went through this terrible tragedy it is absolutely ignorant to dismiss this ! you cannot tell a mother or a father that they do not know what happened to their own child's.... a mother knows!
I also wanted to invite people here to join the Facebook group -revolution for vaccine choice- it was created not too long ago and it's followers have steadily increased ! ( for good reason ) people are waking up ! There is a lot going on right now and many are still in the dark - so please join ! :)
Posted by: sarah palumbo | April 29, 2017 at 06:28 AM
There are many causes of autism and MMR is one. My boy was good and MMR got him to the brink of autism. Only our extensive research and timely actions saved him. He still different : exceptional good in maths n english and memorising but sensitive, bruxism, bit of adhd, stimming. He goes to normal school and know to be good one too. I m avoiding 2nd dose of MMR. Lets see how it goes.
c i s a a n i l a t g m a i l d o t c o m
Posted by: alex | February 26, 2017 at 11:33 AM
I'm dying inside here. My son was developing just fine. Just before the age of 2 he received his mmr shot. He had side effects. It seemed a light went out in his eyes. He began to regress and lose speech. Would stare into space. He began having autistic tendancies. We began fighting with the doctors who said it could not be the shot and said he must have adhd. Had him tested and changed doctors only to find he had developed autism. I do believe this is shot related. It hurts me to see so many parents with the same story. We are not making this up. My thought is maybe there is a genetic predisposition that causes our children to develop autism from the shot. I held off the shot in my next child until he was older than 2 and haven't had any problems. He is hyper as hell but no autism. I have a third child now and I will not get her shot until after she is 2. I think we need somewhere to talk to each other about this. There are two very broad sides to this spectrum. Those who believe the shot may have affected their child and those who strongly believe that it does not and that anyone thinking it may have are idiots. I'm on facebook if anyone wants to speak with me.
Posted by: Melissa treat | January 02, 2017 at 11:21 AM
Hera;
I agree with you.
I think though it is not gong to get - it is already upon us.
Posted by: Benedetta | December 29, 2016 at 02:22 PM
Hi Benedetta;
I sometimes wonder if it is a bit like canaries in a coal mine? Some people can take a lot more than others in terms of vaccines. My husband was fine with lots and lots of military vaccines, until he finally reacted to the anthrax by being allergic to his own sweat for about 6 months. His health recovered, but he has gone from being the least sensitive member of the family to pesticides, household cleaners etc to being as or more likely to react to them than the rest of us.
My husband reacts with flu like symptoms when they use a particular herbicide on the farm around us; it doesn't bother the rest of us. ( I use very natural cleaners etc because the wrong ones have made me feel sick for years.)
Already U.S. fertility and U.S. life expectancy are dropping as the first highly vaccinated (1980's )population reaches their thirties. So many chronic health problems are way up. Asthma, diabetes, etc. And as we keep vaccinating these people, I wonder whether more of them will eventually react to vaccines given to them as adults.
With the Gardasil girls, we are seeing children who did not react to any previous vaccines having their first first severe vaccine reactions as teenagers.
It seems like a rise in chronic health problems is going to take its toll on the next generations. I worry about how bad it is all going to get.
Posted by: Hera | December 29, 2016 at 06:48 AM
Hi Hera;
What if it is all closer in example to poison ivy?
Not every one is allergic to it.
But eventually in short order if they mess with it - they will be.
''=
Posted by: Benedetta | December 29, 2016 at 12:09 AM
Hi Ada,
Autism is just a name for a collection of symptoms, possibly from multiple causes,kind of like a headache. Kids who have fragile x ( less than 6% of autism cases) and kids who have agenesis of the corpus callosum ( missing part of the brain) can be born with "autism" no vaccine injury needed.. But I agree with you that the huge increase in people with autism diagnoses, is being caused by a huge increase in vaccine injuries, correlating with a massive increase in the amount of vaccines a child now has to receive to be "fully vaccinated".
Hi Jennie
People can respond differently to food and medicines.Your argument is the "peanut butter " argument. Can you eat peanut butter safely? I can. It is so safe for me that I can choose to eat sandwiches of the stuff every day. Yet a small amount could kill one of the kids at my sons school. If I am okay, does that mean that he is lying about what will happen if he eats peanut butter? Safe for one is safe for everyone, right? Should he be forced to eat peanut butter, because I don't have a reaction to it?
Similarly, some people are allergic to penicillin.And some people have bad reactions to vaccines.
And the government has known about it for years. In fact, the CDC even has a list of known vaccine reactions.
https://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/vaccineinjurytable.pdf
These reactions include death.
Are you familiar with the tragedy of what happened to Holly Stavola?
http://hopefromholly.com/blog/
The government acknowledged this five year old was killed by her vaccine. You can read about it, if you wish.
The reality is that just because a certain medicine or food is safe for you, doesn't mean it is safe for everyone else.
And the people whose children have been injured or killed by vaccines deserve both compassion and a voice. Most importantly, they deserve the right not to be forced to continue to injure or kill family members. Freedom of medical choice is a basic human right. You never know, you might need to be able to exercise that right in your life at some point, too.
Posted by: Hera | December 28, 2016 at 02:45 PM
Jennie,
http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/mercury-vaccines-cdcs-worst-nightmare/
December 27, 2016
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr : "It’s undeniable that vaccines can cause terrible injuries and even death to vulnerable subgroups. There is also an assumption that they do more good than harm. That may not be true for all vaccines. Certain vaccines may cause more harm thimerosal-laden flu and Hepatitis B vaccines come to mind.
Even with Gardasil and MMR, which don’t contain thimerosal, it’s very difficult to support industry claims for their safety or efficacy. No one can answer these questions honestly. The efficacy and safety studies that we would need to answer these questions have never been performed and the science that has been done has raised a lot of flags that should make reasonable people worry.
Most Americans just assume the CDC has done these studies and answered these questions. People would be shocked if they knew how shoddy the CDC’s science really is."
Posted by: ATSC | December 27, 2016 at 07:53 PM
There is scientific proof that vaccines cause autism. There is not one child who has never been vaccinated, who is autistic! Ask your Dr. to give you one such example! Be smart! Parents, follow your instincts!
Posted by: Ada | December 27, 2016 at 03:56 PM
My son is now 5 years old and his speech is delayed. He was progressing normally until the age of 2 but after that it seems he is still stuck at that age. After reading this post I am beginning to believe this is due to MRM Vaccination given to him at the age of 2. In his class (year 1) he is the only one who requires special attention. When all other kids are speaking fluently he is only saying a few words. He goes on over and over again on the same rhymes and numbers. He is fine with normal physical activity but really struggling to speak a full complete sentence. It seems he just cannot form a sentence in a meaningful way in his mind. He is being seen part-time by a language and speech therapist but due to the school budget shortage even that is not happening regularly. If I really knew that there was a remote chance my son degrading his personality of ability to learn I would have rejected taking this vaccination.
Posted by: Benzeen Talha | December 06, 2016 at 06:42 AM
I had the MMR vaccine and all the vaccines according to CDC protocols and I do not have autism. In fact, I am healthy and have not been infected with any number of potentially fatal and debilitating disease that used to be major problems.
Posted by: Jennie | April 30, 2016 at 11:42 PM
I'm really hurt my daughter was perfectly good with her speech expressing herself had no problem until she had her MMR vaccine. She lost her speech hard to express herself along with sensory issue I noticed the change big time she was perfectly fine normal even the doctor noticed the change with her development before and after I cry cause she only 3 years old
Posted by: Jaime | June 17, 2015 at 02:22 AM
I'm just wondering if it would be ok to give the mmr to a 4 year old and a 2 year old. Neither of my girls have gotten it yet, I'm honestly scared of a horrible side effect.
Posted by: Eli | February 07, 2015 at 09:22 AM
I live in San Diego I was told you can find places that offer the shots separated - is this true? If so how can I find one? I'm not anti vaccine I'm anti multi- vaccines in a single shot.
Anyone that could offer help I'd appreciate!
For the record my kids were all breast fed and not vaccinated until after the age of two; giving a single vaccine at a time. We also had chicken pox people begged to come over to catch time so they didn't have to get vaccinated; "chicken pox party!"
Cheers and thank you in advance for any shared knowledge.
Jeanne
Posted by: Jeanne | February 03, 2015 at 03:08 PM
as with any medication there is ALWAYS side effects and I strongly believe one of the side effects of MMR is Autism . Some of us get the bad effects of the MMR shot some of dont , it all depends on how our immune tolerate it. I am a mother of three children, 2 of whom is autistic , one was never breast fed and the other one was exclusively brestfed.
so what the child was feed has nothing to do with autism .... MMR is the main cultprit of Autism . I am sure the government is hiding something from us , they better speak up now and clean up their act before the norm of society become Autism. Its already 1/50 people , in the next 10 years i am sure is gonna be 1/1 . People in power need to save our children , safeguard our future and create a better human not kill their brain cells by trying to prevent measels mumps or rubella ...come on u smart scientist its the 21st century u all can do better than the MMR vacines.... every month there is a new piece of technology slapping us in the face and u so called great scientist is still struggling with decades old MMR vacines. please for heaven sake stop playing with our kids brain, u have caused enough damage to the worlds population already , its time for a change, time to fix ur mess and come clean. DONT LET ANOTHER CHILD BE DIAGONISED WITH AUTISM , PLEASE GIVE THESE KIDS A NORMAL HEALTHY LIFE THEY RIGHTFULLY DESERVED.
Posted by: love kids | September 27, 2012 at 12:38 PM
please stop scaring people with non-scientific facts.
(of course, I know this comment will NOT be posted, so don't bother)
Posted by: Chris | June 28, 2012 at 06:47 PM
miseals-mumps-rubella should be abolished.
Posted by: I AM BEVIOURAL THERAPIST STEVE BAMS | May 22, 2012 at 12:12 PM
Concerned Mother and Skeptic
I know you are scared and in a tough place.
I did not have a bit of trouble with the MMR shot - but you should know that they increased the mumps part of the MMR in the 90s and just a couple of years ago they reduced it again.
That does not mean that there is still some of those high mump count MMR still around - waste not - is the mind set when it comes to all vaccines.
And it could also be that after all the alumiunium and mercury that is in the Hep B, DPT, DTap, chicken pox and all the booster there of - that the immune system of a baby cannot handle the MMR live virus.
But your thoughts on these kids that react to the vaccines were going to react to something on down the road anyway --
Well we all get twisted up in our thinking sometimes.
My husband was 34 when he reacted to his tetanus shot (after many) and dignosed with "Acquired" mitchondria cytopath - he owned his own home, had a nice wife, two kids, a small farm, a very good job as an engineer.
But the docs attitudes - Oh it would have happened anyway - well then let us just give arsenic to all the kids and the ones that survive will be the tough ones that will carry on the next generation of super humans.
Posted by: Benedetta | April 17, 2012 at 05:46 PM
Concerned Mother and Skeptic
Thirty years ago autism was a 1 in 10,000 disorder, now its more like 1 in 50. Your government is being very careless with children's lives.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/10/the-naked-cdc-the-truth-about-mmr-or-part-of-it-in-their-own-words.html
Posted by: For Concerned Mother and Skeptic | April 17, 2012 at 04:40 PM
Being a first time mom I wonder in a few months what I will do when I have to give my son the MMR shot. After doing so much research I am still at a loss. I mean I want to believe there is no link and countless studies have "proved" it but yet why are there so many stories out there of children affected by the MMR shot. Firstly, I realized you don't get stories on the internet of children who were NOT affected by the MMR shot as why would any one want to read that. Generally, when looking up stories of babies / children who have things go wrong you will get a million stories for every 1 story of a happy / healthy baby because people who have healthy children don't put stories on the internet. There are alot of scaremongers out there on the web, hence why my pediatrician and my OBGYN (when pregnant) told me to stop reading things on the internet.
But after all my research I have a theory I wanted to throw out there - I wonder what if children who do end up authistic or have bad reactions to the MMR shot were already genetically predisposed to autism or the bad reactions and the MMR shot just instigated earlier in their development. Who's to say if those children did not receive the shot that they wouldn't end up authistic anyway? It could have just happened later down the line. It's just a thought. I know we all want to do what's best for our kids, so I am not trying to upset or instigate anything - just my two cents worth! Good luck to all of you wether you immunize or not!
Posted by: Concerned Mother and Skeptic | April 17, 2012 at 04:18 PM
Mikeey....*sigh*. It seems to go: shot then fever then rash then loss of most developed skills AND/OR personality. Do you really think all of these parents are making things up?? If your children didn't suffer the ill effects, then you are one of the many families who go unharmed by vaccines. Your children are vaccinated, I assume, so you have nothing to worry about. My little one had all of her shots until I happened to read about regressive autism. It is NOT worth the risk to me. If she gets measles -slim chance thanks to people like you- the risk of encephelytis is not very high. I would hate to know that I took her in to get her shots one day and that she was completely different the next. I AM taking advantage of herd immunity and I understand that. Until a safer vaccine is produced, I truly don't feel comfortable injecting live viruses into my toddler. She has shown ZERO signs of ill effects after her previous injection visits, but after much RESEARCH I have decided that she will not recieve anymore. That one in so many who suffer 'changes in consciousness and behavior' due to the MMR (as indicated on Merck's website http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_ppi.pdf) are becoming greater and greater as the population grows and as time goes on. I worked for the CDC and I know that their current measure of success is the epidemics they prevent. That is fine, but it was designed when so many people suffered from and spread infectious diseases. Modern medicine was the answer to a huge problem. Now, in our current society, when drugs are almost too prevalent, we are starting to see the adverse effects of MANY of them. It is the new epidemic and it is most horrifying when it affects our children as the parents ultimately make the decision to vaccinate or not. As I have said before, the answer is safer vaccinations, period. If you were cheated out of your childs beautiful personality, you might feel quite differently. Oh and did everyone get the part I JUST mentioned where Merck, the manufacturer of the vaccine, warns about changes in consiousness and behavior??? Here it is again: http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_ppi.pdf
Posted by: MAria | October 28, 2011 at 07:34 PM
I am NOT having my little one vaccinated. I am not a conspiracy theorist and I have somewhat of a background in research. I will say that it's not about money for Merck (I used to work for the CDC), it is about public health. Merck actually looses money on vaccinations every year by providing so many of them for free. They make their money on other harmful, heavily-advertised drugs. It is just that the CDC and Merck are focused on keeping the majority of the public from certain illnesses and could care less if one child looses his or her personality or potential to a vaccine. As parents, OUR main focus is keeping OUR children safe. If that means keeping the CDC from its goal then so be it. The problem isn't the parents who decide against vaccines.... the problem is the safety of vaccines themselves. If the CDC is truly worried about a measles epidemic, then they will push for safer vaccines. My little bunny is so perfect and wonderful and I happened to start researching this because of a video suggested by Netflix. I am so happy that people take the time to put this information out there. You have really given me the chance to make an informed decision. PS It IS the vaccine that hurts the child. Mercury poisoning has very different characteristics than autism...just didn't want people to start thinking vaccines are safe once the mercury is out.
Posted by: MAria | October 28, 2011 at 06:41 PM
Utterly false and misinformed. Anecdotal evidence is THE weakest form of evidence possible. I go to bed every night and the sun comes up in the morning, that doesn't mean that my sleeping caused the sun to come up.
This contrived controversy about vaccines and autism is well beyond beating a dead horse. There is greater scientific proof that vaccines have no link to autism than there is proof that HIV is linked to AIDS. Huge sums of money have been poured into major study after study, systematically refuting all the claims that anti-vaccine activists make. Most recently the claim that MMR associated encephalopathy precipitates autism has been debunked.
Please do your research and look at reputable sources, it is easy to find some fringe quack doctor who believes something that is completely unfounded, but there are simply too many bright people who have been long at work on this issue to say that the consensus is wrong because of some anecdotal evidence. Children are dying because of the decisions not to get vaccinated and we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg, vaccinating your child saves lives. Instead of reading about this issue on a clearly biased website please take it up with your pediatrician, as they have no interest other than protecting your child and the population in general.
Posted by: Alex Gauger | September 15, 2011 at 06:24 PM
My child had the mmr & varicella vaccines at the same time. His speech began to gradually regress, by the time he was 20 months he stopped speaking altogether. He had reactions to other vaccines also, however, we did not link it together until later. We do not do boosters, instead we get titers. It is interesting which ones are very high. He has also had 5 cases of 'wild' chicken pox. He has was considered atypical autistic, then PDD. Now, he has improved to asperger's, central auditory processing disorder, dyslexia, and sensory integration disorder. I absolutely believe in a neuroimmunologic response to vaccines. We have lived it.
Posted by: Tina | August 09, 2011 at 03:50 PM
my son had 7 shots at the age of 2 and yes one of them was the mmr shot. the nurse nor the doctor had documented his shots that day so he had to go repeat the same shots approx. 4 weeks later. my son is now 4 and has autism, mental retardation, and conduct disorder and major tantrums and learning disabilities.
Posted by: crystal schutte | April 20, 2011 at 12:34 PM
Well Hell, Marshall your comment made.
I agree let let us just not accept any anecdotal data evidence because stats are so much better telling us what is happening in the real world.
Yeap, let's just ignore any anecdotal evidence till the cows come home, or when everybody in America is sick with all kinds of stuff that is really anecdotally related.
Oh, but wait a minute, wait ---- stats are starting to catch up with anecdotal ain't it. What 1 in 10,000 to now a big whoppie 1 out of 100.
Posted by: Benedetta | January 09, 2011 at 07:42 PM
I agree with one person near the top said that we do what we think is the best for our children. And really that's all you can do untill they put some more facts out there. I waited till my daughter was 3 to get her MMR and the only reason i got it was because right before that she got a bad rash that they thought was measles but come to find out it wasnt but it still scared me cause i was the one who decided to wait on the shot.and if it was measles it would of been my fault so matter what you do there is always something else you have to worry about. for my next kid i think i would still wait though untill they put for information out there about austim.
Posted by: Danielle | January 09, 2011 at 06:45 PM
I am university student studying to be a clinical psychologist. My education revolves around learning how to provide sound, reliable research. I would urge everyone out there to look up online scientific journals (i.e. a webpage that is NOT covered in advertisements) before drawing such drastic conclusions about this issue.
Posted by: student | January 09, 2011 at 12:20 AM
I know this post won't make it to your comment section, but It's not helpful to base opinion, let alone implied advice about vaccination, on anecdotal data. There is no study, including the now retracted Wakefield study, showing any connection between vaccination and autism.
Posted by: Marshall | January 05, 2011 at 11:08 PM
Linda,
What if the timing wasn't the problem, but the vaccine is the problem?
Posted by: Cynthia Cournoyer | September 20, 2010 at 12:57 PM
is it safe to have the mmr at 2yrs old could my child still be affected by autism
Posted by: linda abraham | September 20, 2010 at 10:31 AM
My daughter was also diagnosed with eczema immediately after the MMR shot. I never knew until now that the two were linked. My son will not receive this vaccination. I've already taken enough of a gamble with my daughter.
Posted by: Amberella | September 16, 2010 at 11:37 PM
A Doctor once said that vaccines can lead to autism, autoimmune conditions and other diseases. What promoters of vaccines failed to realize is that secretory IgA ( an antibody found predominately in saliva and secretion of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract mucosa)is the initial normal antibody response to all airborne and ingested pathogens. IgA helps protect against viral infection, agglutinate bacteria, neutralize microbial toxins, and decrease attachment of pathogens to mucosal surfaces. When given the MMR vaccine, IgA is transmuted into IgE or B cells r hyper-activated to produce pathologic amounts of self attacking antibodies as well as suppression of cytotoxic T cells. Bottom line if your child doesn't get autism they will probably get eczema, ADHD, cancer and the list go on. My child had perfect skin until he got the MMR and then his skin started changing. He was later diagnosed with eczema. How many cases of that do we have? I would like to see the numbers.
Posted by: Tracy | August 23, 2010 at 08:56 PM
I have an 8 yr old son with Aspergers, & inattentive ADHD. He started showing Aspie symptoms @ 14 mos, though I didnt recognize them. Sadly, I think we will find its not any one thing, but different things for different kids that are breaking that development cycle. i do believe the MMR may be one of those things. But even a small chance of causing another childs death from horrid illness was enough for me to vaccinate Brahms 2 younger sisters. It comes down to choices, but none of us have the right to disrespect the choices of another parent. its a tough enough job! those that choose against shots like my sister do not do so out of some abusive decision towards their children! We all love our kids and are doing what we believe best...that we all have in common!
Posted by: MichelleSYoung | May 30, 2010 at 07:48 PM
to advocate:
131 cases of measles in 2008, you said.
autism is supposed to be 1 person in every 166.
Please explain how the odds are in favor of the vaccine, based on this.
Posted by: Jeni | November 17, 2009 at 10:08 PM
Just wanted to let the guy who "hopes we sleep well at night" know that I rest easy knowing my non-vaccinated children are the healthiest I know. They fight off every illness, we fought off chicken pox last year with oatmeal baths and a touch of Benadryl to soothe the itch....wow, she didn't get, "flesh eating disease" like my doctor said, "could" happen (it can happen to anyone with open sores, it's horrible but extremely rare and chicken pox does not increase the chance of it). PLEASE get educated before judging. The whole insult thing is so old...parents do not take this lightly and we are doing the best thing for our kids.
Posted by: Cheryl | November 09, 2009 at 08:06 PM
was autism as prevalent before the 80's as it is now? I think that the answer to this question would zone in on whether or not vacinations are causing problems or not.
Posted by: Orion | October 05, 2009 at 05:01 PM
I took my son in yesterday for his 1 years shots...I told the doctor that I didn't want the MMR because my cousins son has autism ever since he recieved the MMR. She informed me that if I don't give him the shot by the time he is 15 months that I will have to find another doctor. I was shocked! When did doctor's get the right on telling us parents what we can and can't do with OUR children!?
We as parents need to stand up and fight against the drug companies and the govt. Enough is enough!
Posted by: Concerned parent from Kansas City | September 30, 2009 at 10:44 AM
My daughter is now 24 years old. She has Aspergers. The day after her MMR, she "came down" with strep throught, vomiting, all of a sudden she was not able to tolorate her formula, got a foggy look in her eyes. Was not acting her normal way. I took her back to the dr and he said someone at home must be sick----bla bla bla. Fast forward 24 years later, she still has the scares on her thigh from the shots........What do you thing?
Posted by: Nancy | August 18, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Rock and a Hard Place is it the Dtap that is due tomorrow? Go to NVIC website and read. You will have to decide. I am sorry. A little asprin if you do decide or ibueprohen. Good luck.
Posted by: Benedetta Stilwell | July 19, 2009 at 07:58 PM
I have a two month old daughter. We have her two month check up tomorrow which includes her 1st round of shots. I just don't know what to do :( I do not want to vaccinate yet but I am scared of what the ped. will tell me tomorrow. Do I vacciante and worry about potential side effects or do I not vaccinate and worry about her cathing a horrible disease?
Posted by: Rock and a hard place :( | July 19, 2009 at 04:48 PM
I have two sons that have PDD and a daughter who just turned one and got her MMR and the next day she started getting really sick, we went back a couple of days later and she had two ear infections and an upper respritory infection. I had spread out the shots and now I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to let her get any more.
Posted by: Dana Beaty | July 12, 2009 at 04:12 PM
"Trust me, leave the thinking to the people like me."
Genius, we actually did do exactly that, for decades.
And that is exactly why we sank in this bottomless pile of shit.
Posted by: Natasa | June 17, 2009 at 08:11 AM
My three year old sweetheart never got vaccinated and she does not have autism and is a healthy child. Because i love my child, i decided to not get her vaccinated because i did not want her to die (where do you think the cause of sids comes from, is it really unexplained, i think its vaccines), and i didnt want to give her autism. I am proud of my daughter and very happy when she smiles for me and tells me "its okay" when im sad.
An infants inmune system is not fully developed when they are born (thats where jaundice comes from, the liver, which detoxifies your body), but they get like 8 vaccines in the first two months of life and about 16 more by their sixth month of live. This is a lot of mercury.
Thankfully you can just go to a lawyer and sign a paper that "for religious reasons"(which now encompass personal believes) you do not vaccinate your child and wont have to. Even atheism is recognized as a religion. This went to court in NY and was amended this way.
Posted by: atinele86 | June 17, 2009 at 07:13 AM
if u wait until age 2 or 3 for your child to get mmr shot, will they be protected against autism?
Posted by: April | June 11, 2009 at 12:32 AM
Amanda-
In response to you question if anyone had heard of after MMR child getting Measles and it being related to autism...
That is finding on the original study which pointed autism with MMR. I read the article last night, but unfortunately I didn't bookmark it and don't remember the DR's name (Study done back in 70's??)- it has to do with inflammation from measles which can in turn damage the brain.
Go to Dr. Sear's website and look for articles on vaccinations/autism. It will mention the original study- and explains why Dr. Bob gives the option of alternative vaccination schedule.
Posted by: Andrea | May 11, 2009 at 11:52 AM
My daughter had her 12 month needle in early April. She had the MMR and 15 days later broke out with a rash all over her body. Bloodwork confirmed that it was Measles. The doctors informed me that there had not been a case of measles in this city for years....I DO believe it was caused by the MMR vaccine. I am wondering if anyone has heard of this happening and if it is related to autism. My daughter will not be getting the 18 month needle, as I fear what the reaction to it may be.
Posted by: Amanda | May 06, 2009 at 03:47 AM
I'm sorry, I meant to post the quoted source: GeniusIQ160.
Also, I meant to say that DOCTORS generally are trying to help.
Sorry for the confusion.
Posted by: Jeanne D. | April 16, 2009 at 11:05 PM
"Trust me, leave the thinking to the people like me. I am serious here. There are people capable of using scientific method and objectivity, and there are people with average and below intelligence who go on witch hunts for mysterious enemies (such as vaccines) based on trendiness and plain stupidity.
Suggestion: Read an actual science textbook or professional journal regarding this issue. No, I do not mean Discover Magazine. Read something respected and used by actual scientists."
Um, okay, what about Thalidimide? Or 1960's X-ray treatments? You think the average person doesn't know as much as you do, but these were accepted treatments of their time. Yes, we know more now. But that doesn't mean we know it ALL now. I say, approach anything injected or administered to your child with cautious skepticism. Generally, they are trying to do the right thing, but most are too busy to really study the studies, and they rely on their gut.
Posted by: Jeanne D. | April 16, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Anytime you go to a doctor based on another persons reasons, you are at risk. A child knows no better, so they go based on another persons reasons. Yes, if the child is sick and shows signs of it, he/she must go. But, there in no preventive anything out there in the world. Everything that is handed out, is produced so that it can generate an income in the future. Kind of like growing flowers from seeds. The human body is so genetically perfected that if you listen to it, it will tell you when it needs assistance and except for cuts that need to be stitched, bones that need to be realigned/reset, organs that need to be removed, and drugies needing their prescriptions refilled, there is absolutely no need to seek medical assistance. Especially, since I just seen a clip on AOL that showed a hospital harvesting body parts on a person who was clinically, brain dead. They used to do this with cars that were totaled in the 70s.
Posted by: Dbone Garms | March 16, 2009 at 09:36 PM
I think that alot of people are getting confused here.
As the ed says, thimerosal has never been put into live vaccines. Obviously injecting mercury into people, no matter how much, is not a good thing. Hence why they are now phasing it out.
There are plenty of people who are saying what I am about to say, but here goes:
There is no link between autism and the MMR triple vaccine.
One of the only studies to have shown this link (by studies I mean of more than 1 person) was by Andrew Wakefield. This study has now been totally discredited as false.
Several large studies have shown that the MMR is not linked to autism. There are countries where MMR has been used for years and autism levels are falling, and there are countries where autisms levels are rising and the MMR has not been used for years.
And to the poster who recommends using homeopathic "medicine" to treat children instead of conventional medicine and vaccines- I hope you sleep well at night, as I would worry about my children realising one day the danger I put them in and them leaving me and never coming back.
Posted by: Mikeey | March 12, 2009 at 10:11 AM
Our son developed problems within 24 hours of his MMR. He stopped talking and walking and started screaming. Screaming which lasted for over 2 years. For us there is NO debate on what happened to our child. It took over 3 years to get a diagnosis of autism due to his regression. Children don't regress into autism don't we all know. I don't care what anyone thinks, our child (who he was) died that day and was replaced with someone else. We love our son, but mourn who he was. This is an atrocity that needs to end. We haven't immunized a child of our since and the two we didn't are our healthiest children by far! Thank you for the article. I hope there are people who will listen.
Posted by: Jenifer | February 26, 2009 at 01:58 PM
"Trust me, leave the thinking to the people like me."
Gatagorra's $6M man entry in another thread just lost top spot for funniest post this week.
GenuisIQ160 - wrap your superior intellect around this:
Dilbert's Boss: "I've hired the Dogbert 'Touchy-Feely' Institute to teach us about teamwork"
Dogbert: "We'll start with an exercise about trust. I want each of you to sign blank checks and give them to me."
Dilbert: "What will this teach us about trust?"
Dogbert: "It will teach you that trust is an excellent quality for others to have."
Posted by: Randy | February 20, 2009 at 05:19 PM
GeniusIQ160, my husband has an even higher IQ than you- I think I'll listen to him, thanks. Please go back to your delusions of grandeur of being a supreme being and stay off of AoA unless you have something of worth to add. We're used to insults and disbelief on this site. You are not impressing anyone.
Posted by: Julie Swenson | February 20, 2009 at 03:37 PM
Rosita,
Thank you for stopping by!
You're right--the side effects of vaccination are NOT rare.
You don't need to be "torn" between opposing theories: just educate yourself.
You can start at www.vaccinationnews.com or www.insidevaccines.com. Vaccines can cause death and disabilities, including autism, and they can trigger chronic diseases, including seizure disorders, asthma, and life-threatening allergies.
Look around you at all the chronically sick and disabled children and young adults today. It *wasn't* like this when I was young. Things have changed in the last 20 to 30 years, and most of this chronic disease and terrible disability in our children can be linked to overvaccination.
Why vaccinate your child against diseases that are rare, or that your child has little risk of being exposed to?
Why vaccinate against three diseases at once, when this is much more likely to cause serious damage than any of the individual diseases themselves, even if your child *does* catch them?
Please check back in and let us know how you are doing!
I'm sure your doctor has the very best intentions, but pediatricians are very much in denial about the true risks of vaccination.
Posted by: Terri Lewis | February 20, 2009 at 12:42 PM
I have a three month old precious girl named Eva. She has not yet been injected/vaccinated. I know too mothers with autistic children, both of whom claim that the symptoms started within 24 hours of vaccination. I'm torn between to opposing theories. My daughter's doctor said she did vaccinate her children becuase she would rather act to prevent a disease, rather than not act to prevent a rare side-effect. I get the impression that the side-effects are not RARE and I refused to administer the vaccines that day, without discussing it with my husband. I was vaccinated and am breastfeeding and my child should be recieving immune support from me.
Posted by: rosita | February 20, 2009 at 11:23 AM
My husband and I strongly believe the MMR causes autism. Obviously, it doesn't cause it for every child but to me there is proof that the vaccines is not safe for children. We refuse to put our daughter at risk! We have also spaced out her other vaccinations. Her doctor keeps telling us we should vaccinate her against Hep B (a disease I did not have at birth and do not have) for daycare. Since she's not in daycare she can wait until she is a teenager for the vaccine. We also decided against vaccinating her against rotavirus which she can get anyway. At her one year visit, we are just saying no to the MMR and Varicella. The doctor is well aware of how we feel. When he mentions other vaccines we say "no thank you!" I undersntad doctors need to mention it but if we give our daughter the MMR and she gets sick the same doctor won't be holding our hands throughout the process so I say do what is best for your child.
Posted by: MOMAGAINSTTHEMMR | February 19, 2009 at 10:07 AM
It is hilarious that my intelligence is being made fun of here due to my criticism of anecdotal evidence. A vast majority of scientists are on my side. Perhaps that is due to the fact that they, like me, have the intelligence to see the necessity of scientific method and not the emotionally-driven anecdotal "evidence" of paranoid mothers who learned their "science" from TV shows.
Trust me, leave the thinking to the people like me. I am serious here. There are people capable of using scientific method and objectivity, and there are people with average and below intelligence who go on witch hunts for mysterious enemies (such as vaccines) based on trendiness and plain stupidity.
Suggestion: Read an actual science textbook or professional journal regarding this issue. No, I do not mean Discover Magazine. Read something respected and used by actual scientists.
Posted by: GeniusIQ160 | January 13, 2009 at 02:20 PM
Hey Genius, everyone who smokes does not get lung cancer. So do cigarettes cause lung cancer?
Your IQ alone does not do the trick, you need to apply it intelligently. Perhaps with common sense?
Posted by: For Genius | December 27, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Geniusiq160 -- but wait, there's more!
This reluctance to study individual children has been aroung for a while -- for example, go to www.putchildrenfirst.org/chapter6.html for a discussion of the 2004 IOM report which is often pointed to as "proof" that vaccines don't cause autism, including this:
____
The committee refused to look at hundreds of case reports showing the relationship between vaccinations and autism.
Dr. Johnston: Barbara Loe Fisher [NVIC] could give you names. Mrs. Fisher said she had cases. I think she came up to say if you needed any cases to demonstrate the points, you could have them.
Dr. McCormick: She was demonstrating causality. She was taken by your case series that you did-the Guillaume Barre (sic) and whatever, the tetanus. She was all ready to get you cases to prove causality.
Dr. Wilson: Well, let's see them.
Dr. McCormick: Let's not do that. Do you have a free weekend that you want to plod through them?
- IOM Committee Meeting, 1/12/2001 Closed-Door Meeting Transcript, pp. 149 & 150 (emphasis added)
______
and this:
Email from Marie McCormick, "Injure the Nervous System"
June 9, 2004
Private email to a parent
This private email was written by Marie McCormick, Chairperson of the 2004 IOM Committee. It highlights how misused and misquoted the 2004 IOM report is, often referred to as proof that thimerosal is "safe", which the report never concluded. In it, she quotes a portion of the IOM report:
"The committee accepts that under certain conditions, infections and heavy metals, including thimerosal, can injure the nervous system."
______
Veterinarians and pet owners are reporting the same health conditions in over-vaccinated pets as are common among people with autism, such as seizures and IBD. Veterinarian organizations have responded by revising the animal vaccine protocol to group vaccines into "core" vaccines most important for common serious illnesses, and other vaccines which are less critical (see www.ageofautism.com/2008/05/veterinarian-wi.html ).
But go ahead, just keep dismissing all evidence as anecdotal and coincidental.
Posted by: Twyla | December 27, 2008 at 02:20 PM
No, Geniusiq160, that is not our "line of logic"; that is the line of reasoning among people within the gov't and medical establishment, who often tell us that since most people who receive vaccines don't become autistic, therefore vaccines don't cause autism.
A few people such as Dr. Bernardine Healy have suggested actually studying the injured children, but those who should be doing these studies say there is no need to study individual children because statistics are all that is needed.
As Dr. Bernardine Healy said, "population studies are not granular enough to detect individual metabolic, genetic, or immunological variation that might make some children under certain circumstances susceptible to neurological complications after vaccination."
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2008/04/10/fighting-the-autism-vaccine-war.html
Like so many other people today, you dismiss as "anecdotal" parent observations of their toddlers' vaccine reactions followed by loss of language and social skills and regression into autism. However, what parents witness is important evidence.
In addition, there is a whole lot of other evidence of various kinds linking vaccines and autism, including studies of the immune system, nervous system, and biochemical processes in the body.
And the autism-vaccine link is consistent with a history of vaccines causing immune system reactions and encephalitis. In the article cited above, Dr. Bernardine Healy also said, "Go back 40 or 50 years. The medical literature is replete with reports of neurological reactions to vaccines, such as mood changes, seizures, brain inflammation, and swelling." In recent studies, brain inflammation has been found in autopsied brains of people with autism. And inflammatory markers have been found in the spinal fluid of people with autism.
So, wrap your 160 IQ genius mind around a little more of the evidence. There will be more and more evidence coming out in the coming year.
Posted by: Twyla | December 27, 2008 at 02:20 PM
To Genius -
Based upon your logic, there would be no such thing as a peanut allergy due to the fact that many people eat peanuts, yet do not drop dead right after eating them. Ridiculous. Sometimes, anecdotal evidence accurately represents the truth.
Posted by: Not an MD | December 27, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Actually, one could just as easily say that MMR prevents autism. Since you go by anecdotal evidence, there are a huge number of people who took the MMR and didn't become autistic. With your line of logic, that means that it prevents autism. End of story
Posted by: Geniusiq160 | December 27, 2008 at 07:11 AM
Twyla, I think he means Heather. Her comment is below yours, so he probably mis-read the tag.
Posted by: Theresa | December 25, 2008 at 07:09 AM
James said, "some people like Twyla can be injected with massive amounts of mercury and have no effects". Hunh? Not sure where that's coming from. Are you confusing me with somebody else, or misinterpreting one of my comments?
Posted by: Twyla | December 24, 2008 at 08:03 PM
A good friend of mine from High School has a son who began to show signs of autism after the MMR vaccine. I dont believe everything I read on the internet, but anyone who thinks that this stuff is good for you needs to have their heads examined.
The real question is here, if the risk / reward ratio is worth it for our kids. By the sound of it, the answer is an overwhelming no. And while some people like Twyla can be injected with massive amounts of mercury and have no effects, that does not mean that it would not put others at risk. Ask Jeremy Pivens, an actor who is now suffering from mercury poisoning.
Every time I read a case study I think to myself "What industry that investigates itself can be counted on to provide evidence that implicates them to the incline of autism?"
The reality is, the Pharms have to much money to allow that to happen, and they have to much to loose. Its not a conspiracy, but many people think that even with the potential side effect associated with Vaccines, that the benefits outweigh the risks, until it becomes their kid of course. Personally, I would rather run the risk of having to nurse my kid through one of these disease, then have him walking around in circles banging his head against a toaster for the rest of his life. Im not being funny either.
In closing, I just want to say that I feel todays medical establishment is more about using the populace as Guinea pigs for the pharmaceutical companies than it is about protecting the people, and preventative medicine has taken on a new meaning, to prevent lawsuits.
Stay away from this Garbage, listen to the parents and not the hypocrites that investigate themselves.
Posted by: James | December 24, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Heather, nobody is saying that everyone who gets the MMR becomes autistic. The fact that you did not have an adverse reaction does not mean that no one does.
Posted by: Twyla | December 22, 2008 at 11:29 PM
I got the measles vaccine back in the early 1980's when the shot was loaded with Mercury and poison and evil-doctor voodoo. I do not have autism.
I can't believe the people on here calling pediatricians evil and accusing them of "destroying" children. It's deplorable.
Editor's note: Heather, neither the measles vaccine nor the MMR ever had thimerosal. Live virus vaccines do not contain mercury preservatives. Before you make emotional attacks you should make sure you know what you're talking about. From this comment, it is clear you do not.
Posted by: Heather | December 22, 2008 at 04:58 PM
My husband and I are expecting our first child, and he recently came home telling me about the MMR vaccine causing Autism due to the Mercury based preservative used in the vaccine. I was very concerned and did some research.
I think it is fair that parents should know that the CDC addressed this issue in 1999 and 2001.
Here is a direct quote from their website:
"Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines and other products since the 1930s. There is no convincing scientific evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site. However, in July 1999, the Public Health Service agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure.
Since 2001, with the exception of some influenza (flu) vaccines, thimerosal is not used as a preservative in routinely recommended childhood vaccines."
Reading this has made less worried, but I think if you are a concerned parent, I was told you can still request the MMR as three shots where no preservatives are used. I think that people should understand that even if the CDC is not saying there is a connection they did address the concern.
Remember, the you are the doctors customer and if you do not feel comfortable with any thing they are doing to you or your children, you have the final say. Too many people in do not ask questions and bring up concerns. You always have the right to refuse.
I also encourage everyone to do there own research and not believe everything they read on the internet.
Thank you for your time.
Posted by: Christy G | December 04, 2008 at 05:58 PM
Haylee
Thank you for your honest and emotional opinion. It makes me feel better that young people are getting the message. I would love it if you told your friends about www.causecast.org When somebody wants to help change the world this site empowers them to do so with all proceeds going to a great cause... Like Generation rescue.
Thank you for working with our kids. You will be rewarded they have a lot to offer. God Bless you.
http://www.causecast.org/member/tanners-dad
Posted by: Tanners Dad | November 24, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I've been researching Autism as much as possible in the last couple of months and was directed here after reading Both Mother Warriors and Louder than Words. I do not have children of my own but I shadow an Aspergers student.
I'm amazed at all the things I've discovered. Aside from being convinced that the amount of toxins being added to these babies is triggering autism, I'm also very angry to find that there are derivatives of human blood in vaccines.
I was just given MMR and tetanus shots in order to work in the school system. I knew that I had already had them but the doctor said that rather than wait to get my records sent they would just re-administer.. they said it was no big deal.
The big Deal is that I believe that blood is sacred (religious view) and obstain from partaking blood in any way. The doctor was aware of this as well. I'm sure he didn't have the ingredients memorized but I'm upset about that.
I'm also shocked that our doctors think its ok to inject all of these toxins. They are supposed to make us healthy!
I'm 24 and I know about 7 people who are currently pregnant. I'm scared for them. I'm posted a lot of my finding on my myspace and unfortunatly my closest friend believes the CDC when they say there's no proven connection between thimerosal and autism...
If only she would actually READ what is out there on this subject.
I saw a video on youtube from a cnn interview where the CDC Chief admitted that vaccines can autism like symptoms (aka autism)
I'm scared to have kids..
Posted by: Haylee | November 24, 2008 at 11:00 AM
I found a great article on National Institute of Child Health and Developments website that I think parents should read. It's titled Aren't the diseases from the MMR vaccine mild when compared to the life long symptoms of autism? It really explains how dangerous measels mumps and rubella really are. There is a rising increase in measels due to more and more parents not vaccinating there children with MMR. I feel if parents are going to put their kids at such high risk of a deadly disease like this that these kids shouldnt be allowed to be around other kids and possibly exposing them to this disease. For example in daycares and schools. Keep your kids vaccinated the risk of getting a disease is much higher than the risk of getting autism.
Posted by: Tina | October 09, 2008 at 01:04 PM
I'm saddened to hear all of the misconceptions and erroneous information on this site. There are countless current research articles proving this information to be false. Trust your physicians and nurses not a blogspot on the Internet.
Please keep in mind that the herd immunity that you are going to rely on for keeping your child free from vaccine preventable diseases is decreasing. Also, the children and adults who have medically sound reasons (cancer, HIV, ect.) for not receiving vaccines are even more susceptible. Already this year there has been 131 cases of measles reported to the CDC. This is the highest number of cases since 1996. Measles is a very dangerous disease and it can be prevented.
Posted by: Advocate | September 25, 2008 at 05:52 PM
To the moms and grandmoms:
Protect yourself when you go to these pediatrician jackals. Go "armed," so to speak. Talk to your husbands, mothers, fathers (show them this site, generation rescue, etc.), get them on board, and bring them with you to appointments.
I'm sad to report that it's not just pediatricians who behave this way. My mom is diabetic, 60 years old, and she's been bullied, intimidated, lied-to, insulted, and even harassed by almost every doctor she's seen since we moved here in 1997. This is because she goes alone... if my dad went with her, or my wife or I did, I doubt they'd get away with it. Like they're going to behave that way when a witness is there.
She also was almost killed when they took her off her tried and true insulin system she's been using since she was 20 and put her on pharma's brand new program.
She recently got her medical records from the latest doctor who just "fired" her without even telling her until she tried to make an appointment. The genius had her down as TYPE II diabetes when she's TYPE I.
Anyway, if you have a hostile doc, go in prepared with the proper mentality. Also bring a partner... makes things SO MUCH easier!
Posted by: Josh | August 26, 2008 at 09:31 AM
Dear Northern US:
You are one smart mom! Congratulations on a healthy baby. My 5 year old daughter has never been vaccinated and has never had a sick visit. She went to preschool at age 3 5days/week. She has 3 older siblings who all brought home every cough, cold etc. What I'm saying is I did not shelter my baby.
Dump your ped and find a homopath or naturalpath just in case your baby catches the sniffles, gets a fever, etc. I've used homopathic medicine for over 5 years and it works wonders even for babies. I learned from a pharmacist.
Good Luck and enjoy your baby.
Posted by: Holly M. | August 26, 2008 at 09:21 AM
My son is almost 2 months and I ws taking him in for his first round of shots in the morning but after the advice of old friend I decided to do a little research on the immunization details and wound up on this site. I am cancelling my appt in the morning! I am shocked but extremely happy I got this information in time...You know...I refused all shots at birth because it just didnt SEEM right or logical to inject HEP B into a newborn...so I said no...It was as if I just admitted I was from mars or something...I got alot of nasty faces from the nurses which I complained about (years of therapy and acting training make me more outspoken than normal)..Then when I went to my pediatrician and he saw I refused the vaccine , he as well got really SNIPPY with me...I felt a blacklist sensation and it scared me actually...But now after reading these comments psted here...I am sure...I will wait at least 2 years for any and I will space them out...if I even choose any...they all sound horrible...Dtap, HepB, HIB...Wondering about Rotateq , Prevnar and Pediarix which are all listed at 2 months!!!! No way Im getting the MMR or Gardasil...Heard of Varivax? Anyway, as a child I had whooping cough, mumps, measles, and chickenpox...and none of them killed me...although the whooping cough was scary! My brother got all his shots...in 1995 and he has major allergies...hmmmm....I have no allergies to anything (born in 1960s). Here is my BIG QUESTION...If I dont get baby vaccinated with anything for 2 years...should I not take him into public places and or not let strangers get near him to protect his system? Thanks for your altruistic and honorable web site...Northern US
Posted by: Northern US with beautiful newborn son...was on my way to immu when I saw your site!!! | August 26, 2008 at 03:16 AM
I have a three-month-old son and I've been pressured to vaccinate him with the current CDC vaccine schedule, but I've decided against it. When I tried to express my concerns to follow an alternate schedule, possibly delaying the vaccines and then separating them, I was met with condescending hostility from the doctor. My older brother is autistic (Asperger Syndrome, mainly), which furthers my concern over my little boy. I'm far from the over-protective mother who rushes to the doctor at the first sign of a slightly runny nose, but I was treated as though I was a pathetic half-wit who shouldn't be allowed to be a mother. I'm young, 22-years-old, and I know a lot of people tend to look down on younger mothers, but I find this attitude toward alternate vaccine schedules from medical "professionals" to be deplorable. I don't want to be bullied and endure the sarcastic eye-rolling from physicians any longer, so does anybody know a doctor in San Diego County, CA, who might understand my decision to hold off on vaccinations until my child is older? Thanks so much for any information you might have for me.
Posted by: Cara | August 21, 2008 at 04:42 PM
i have two grandchildren that were born in 12/06 and they got some shots and my one son let the dr.s give him 5 shots all at once. and i didn't think that he should have did that..he seem to be alright but i don't know for sure.and now he is taking him back to get more shots and i want him to only get him one at a time do you think i should try to talk him out of doing that..becaue i go with him on every apointment? and when the baby was born he had to drink soy milk..because the formumla would constapate him and his whole body would go limp.and vomite.so what do you think we should do???
Posted by: J.C. | August 10, 2008 at 04:07 AM
My son is now just over years. Our day care provider is being directed by the state of NJ to require all children be vaccinated according to schedule provided be the CDC. To date my son has had vaccines but not MMR, Varicella or Flu. I am Interested in finding if there is a way in which these can be avoided.
Brian
Posted by: Brian & Nancy Scanlon | July 31, 2008 at 01:16 PM
Hi,
I did not vaccinate my kids after the MMR scare because of a link with autism and bowel disorders (history of this on my husband's side of the family). My eldest was vaccinated before the scare and I am now contemplating vaccinating my other 3 kids. The eldest is 13, next is 9 and then 8. Are there any reports of children of this age becoming autistic/developing bowel disorders after mmr? My eldest is booked in for her mmr this Friday so would appreciate some advice.
Posted by: Bea | July 09, 2008 at 04:35 AM
Eva,
1. Please look carefully at www.generationrescue.org. Get in touch with a Rescue Angel close to where you live. (Write to me, too--I'm there, listed in Ohio.)
2. Start with the GFCF diet. Take it seriously. Remember that this is just a starting point for some; all that's needed for a lucky few.
3. There are lots of tests, but you'll get nowhere with your current doctor. Ditch this evil woman as fast as you can; I do not say this lightly. Believe me, with the attitude she has already displayed toward you and your daughter, she couldn't have made this decision any easier. She doesn't care what happens to either one of you. You *can* find someone who does.
4. Please let us know how it goes. There are new parents lurking here all the time. What all of us say and do will influence how many babies are healed, and how many continue to be carelessly poisoned in the first place.
The multiple vaccination nightmare this person *wanted* to subject your daughter to is literally unbelievable to me, especially after Hannah Poling. It's unreal that any human being, much less a doctor who took A SACRED OATH TO "FIRST, DO NO HARM," could so blindly destroy children on a regular basis.
But it happens every day.
And it will until we stop it.
Terri Lewis
Posted by: Terri Lewis | May 31, 2008 at 05:49 PM
I have been scouring the Internet for days trying to find out about the MMR vaccine as it relates to bowel problems and subsequent autism. I have been slow to vaccinate my daughter due to my terror of causing permanent neurological damage.
Last month, however, my daughter developed a measle-like rash, which subsequently turned out to be roseola. Meanwhile, my daughter's doctor had been pressuring me that I should finish her vaccinations as she is seriously "behind" schedule. The measle like rash and the information the doctor gave me scared me so I agreed to give her the MMR vaccine. I asked the doctor if she could have the vaccines separately. Her exact words delivered with an angry disdain were, "Oh, don't be like that!"
She wanted to catch my daughter up with all of her vaccines, but on that I stood firm and refused to allow it. Had I agreed Rosie would have gotten the following vaccines at once: DTaP, HIB, MMR, Hepatitis A, and Pneumococcal. Additionally, I noted the doctor had marked Rosie as behind in Varicella and the Flu Shot. I don't know whether she would have given her those shot as well.
Anyway, since a few days after the vaccine my daughter has had chronic soft stools and a horrible diaper rash. I will say that she is prone to constipation and has suffered pretty bad rashes before. When I phoned the doctor to discuss it, she was annoyed with me saying that she had seen me before about this rash and if I thought it was so bad to make an appointment or go to the emergency room (I apparently was disturbing her weekend). I took my daughter to the doctors office the following Monday and was told she had a stomach virus and to modify her diet until the stools return to normal. Her stools have not returned to normal and it has been about 3-4 weeks.
I know that my daughter's current doctor will not support me in investigating the relationship. What can I do to find out what is happening with her? Are there tests I can insist on? Are there dietary modifications I can make?
Eva
Posted by: Eva Dunn | May 31, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Thank you, Monica and thank you, Concerned Mom #2. My answer was inadequate; yours are much more complete.
Concerned Mom (JL)--are you there?
Terri L.
Posted by: Terri Lewis | May 05, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Concerned Mom, ultimately it is your choice, do NOT let the doctor "bully" you into any decision you are not comfortable with.
You should know, that the package insert to the MMR states-
"WARNINGS
Due caution should be employed in administration of M-M-R II to persons with a history of cerebral injury, individual or family histories of convulsions, or any other condition in which stress due to fever should be avoided. The physician should be alert to the temperature elevation which may occur following vaccination (see ADVERSE REACTIONS).
Hypersensitivity to Eggs
Live measles vaccine and live mumps vaccine are produced in chick embryo cell culture. Persons with a history of anaphylactic, anaphylactoid, or other immediate reactions (e.g., hives, swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, hypotension, or shock) subsequent to egg ingestion may be at an enhanced risk of immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions after receiving vaccines containing traces of chick embryo antigen. The potential risk to benefit ratio should be carefully evaluated before considering vaccination in such cases. Such individuals may be vaccinated with extreme caution, having adequate treatment on hand should a reaction occur (see PRECAUTIONS)."
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_pi.pdf
As for the stand alone measles vaccine, ATTENUVAX®, which is still a live virus, the package insert states-
"WARNINGS
Due caution should be employed in administration of ATTENUVAX to persons with a history of cerebral injury, individual or family histories of convulsions, or any other condition in which stress due to fever should be avoided. The physician should be alert to the temperature elevation which may occur following vaccination (see ADVERSE REACTIONS).
This product contains albumin, a derivative of human blood. Based on effective donor screening and product manufacturing processes, it carries an extremely remote risk for transmission of viral diseases. Although there is a theoretical risk for transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), no cases of transmission of CJD or viral disease have ever been identified that were associated with the use of albumin.
Hypersensitivity to Eggs
Live measles vaccine is produced in chick embryo cell culture. Persons with a history of anaphylactic, anaphylactoid or other immediate reactions (e.g., hives, swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, hypotension and shock) subsequent to egg ingestion may be at an enhanced risk of immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions after receiving vaccines containing traces of chick embryo antigen. The potential risk to benefit ratio should be carefully evaluated before considering vaccination in such cases. Such individuals may be vaccinated with extreme caution, having adequate treatment on hand should a reaction occur (see PRECAUTIONS)"
http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/mvvmer013107LB.pdf
You may want to see if your daughter has any maternal antibodies. There are also vitamins (particularly A I think) you can give her before, and after vaccination, that can bolster the immune system.
I know it must be difficult for you to weigh the risks and benefits right now. Please tell us how it goes.
Out of curiousity, where in the US do you live, where there is a measles outbreak currently?
Posted by: Monica | May 05, 2008 at 09:54 AM
"She is extremely sensitive, has had allergies to egg, and possibly milk, now all just about resolved. She remains sensitive to anything perfumed, etc."
JL given the above description of the state of your daughter's health, its fairly obvious that she has suffered from the ill-effects of the vaccines. I would never ever stick my child with another shot - EVER. The M, M and R (i.e., live viruses) are the death knell of many many kids. Read Dr. Miller's explanation of the live virus vaccines on the Generation Rescue website. Should your daughter contract the mealses, take her to an alternative medicine practitioner to treat her naturally. IF your child gets autism from that shot will your pediatrician be able to cure her of her autism? BTW Hannah Poling was like your daughter before she got her shots that did her in. You do not know what your daughter's tipping point is do you?
Posted by: Concerned Mom | May 05, 2008 at 09:10 AM
JL (Concerned Mom)--
I don't live anywhere near New York, so I can't comment on the availability of separate measles, mumps, and rubella shots there.
But you also just asked for opinions.
With your particular circumstances, especially, I wouldn't give the MMR. I'm not so sure I would take the measles shot, knowing what I know now, but I certainly wouldn't expose my child to the MMR.
Your daughter is already showing immune system problems, so why take a chance of making it worse?
She will benefit from large doses of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, both before, during, and after exposure to either the measles or the measles shot. There's more specific advice (doses, and more) at www.generationrescue.com.
Another possibility is to minimize her chances of exposure. Find out if any other child she's around actually has measles; possibly find alternate child care.
Most importantly, learn more about measles and about the measles shot. The info is out there, and much of it is right here.
Good luck, and we'd all be interested in hearing what you choose to do.
Terri L.
Posted by: Terri Lewis | May 05, 2008 at 08:05 AM
Hi all,
This site has been so informative, thank you. I have a 24-month old daughter (turning 2 on May 6th), and I have not yet given her the MMR. I did space all of her earlier vaccines, so as not to administer more than 2 at a time. She is extremely sensitive, has had allergies to egg, and possibly milk, now all just about resolved. She remains sensitive to anything perfumed, etc. There is currently an outbreak of measles in my area. Given its easy transmission, and given the fact that my daughter is with other children at a sitter each day (and I don't know who they have contact with), I'm leaning toward giving her the vaccine at her next well-check (either this week or next). Any opinions, tips? Any knowledge of separated vaccinations in the NYC area?
Thank you,
Concerned Mom
Posted by: JL | May 04, 2008 at 03:56 PM
Rachael, I can't help with the prescription dilemma, but I have found a travel clinic in my area (Cincinnati, OH) that offers the individual measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. Maybe you could check into that, as well. I have not decided when I will feel comfortable going forward with the individual ones, particularly the measles...
To all who write for this site, as well as the many parents who post comments about your personal experiences--you are rock stars to me. I owe so much thanks to you for sharing all of your knowledge. I check this site daily, and am in awe of the persistent effort to uncover the truth behind vaccine damage. I especially appreciate the wit, humor, and sarcasm that often leave me laughing out loud. Ultimately, next to God, I feel that I have you all to thank for the 17 month old son that blows me kisses and laughs with me.
When he was 4 months old, I read research about early, rapid rate of growth for head circumference and how this is common in children with autism. Ever since then, I have been bracing for autism, since his head went from the 25th percentile at birth to the 75th percentile at 4 months (almost exactly like the children in the studies). He was a little late responding to his name and with babbling. My husband's family also has a very strong history of autoimmune disorders, and my husband has a cousin with autism. When my son had his flu shot at 11 months (cringe), I found out it contained thimerosal. I was outraged that I had been so naive to believe it had been removed from "all" vaccines. I started digging and found Age of Autism. This has totally changed my perspective on vaccines. We have opted for a much less intensive vaccine schedule, and so far all is well. My son loves to spin wheels (a little too much in my opinion), which reminds me that we are not out of the woods yet. But his vocabulary is great, and aside from being shy around strangers, his social skills seem to be fine.
I feel like I am a parent of a child who is just one environmental trigger (vaccine) away from autism. The risk factors are there. You have given me the precious information that I need to do whatever I can to stop autism in its tracks. I am so grateful. A new generation of parents is listening to your stories and your advice--I believe your ideas just might save our children.
I wish there was a message board where mothers like myself could problem solve our situations, ask questions, etc, instead of using comments space. If anyone knows of a good place to do this, please let me know. Thanks!
Posted by: thankful mom | April 30, 2008 at 11:10 PM
Hi, my daughter is 20 months, and I have not given her the MMR vaccine yet. Her pediatrition told me he can not order them seperate and agreed to give me a prescription for the mumps and in a year he will write a script for rubella and a year later for measles. I can not find a pharmacy willing or able to fill the prescription for me. I am not sure what to do. I do not want to give the combined vaccine, but every pharmacy is telling me thats the only way it can be ordered. I'm so lost. Does anyone have any advice?
Thanks so much.
~Rachael
Posted by: Rachael | April 30, 2008 at 05:25 PM
Hi, this is my first visit to this site.
When our son was a year we debated having the MMR shot but they told me it was better to have it done than not to. Agaist better judgement we had it done. My niece was just diagnosed with autism so I have been trying to do as much research as possible. Our daughter is 9 months old and my husband and I have decided not to have her MMR shot done at a year. We were wondering weather to have it done at age 4, all is seperate shots. Do you think this is a good idea, or should we not at all? Thanks in advance for your advice. This is a wonderful site.
Posted by: Angie | April 25, 2008 at 07:44 PM
Hi Danielle - Let me add to Terri's excellent response. As a mom of a girl with autism, we need to be careful about using the statistics of boys vs. girls with autism as a means to make ourselves feel better about the "chance" of a girl acquiring autism. I believe that the focus on this statistic only hurts our girls. Doctors are less likely to think "autism" with a girl because it is more prevalent in boys, and this can delay diagnosis, and ultimately, early intervention. This is what happened to my daughter. And, the fact of the matter is, the incidence among girls is not rare. 20-25% of a population is not rare. I mean, how can one say that the incidence of autism in children - 1 in 150 - is not rare, and then say that the ratio of girls to boys (1 to 4) is rare? The math doesnt add up. In the end, your daughter can be just as susceptible as any boy. Terri mentioned the auto-immune connection above which does play into this susceptibility.
Posted by: Linda Girard | April 23, 2008 at 10:57 AM