Vaccinations?

Back in 1998 the controversy of the MMR vaccine being related to autism sprung into the U.S. The dispute was brought into perspective when a medical journal, The Lancet, presented evidence that autism spectrum disorders are potentially related to the MMR vaccine.

The MMR vaccine is an immunization shot for measles, mumps, and rubella; it came about in the 1960s. This MMR shot is generally given to children under the age of one, and again before attending school. During the first 20 years the vaccination was in use in the U.S., there were and estimated prevention of 52 million cases of the measles, 17,400 cases of mental retardation, and 5,200 deaths. Looking at some of the facts and outstanding numbers seem like the MMR vaccine should be a no-brainer for everyone to get.

Autism has been a difficult disorder for not only the person that is diagnosed, but the family as well. Autism is describe as a pervasive developmental disorder of children, characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity, and emotional detachment. Children with autism often struggle with understanding social interactions; they cannot grasp the concept of sarcasm in many cases. They may also have difficulties maintaining a coherent conversation for even a short period of time. Many of these signs can be seen before the child reaches the age of three. There is no known cure for autism in today's world.

The controversy of whether or not this immunization shot is associated with autism sparked a world-wide disagreement. Although there is no official, scientific evidence linking the MMR vaccine to the autism disorder in children, a great deal of people, especially parents are concerned and convinced that there is a connection between the two. The Lancet article was retracted in 2010, and the research that was done was recently deemed fraudulent. The research was considered illegitimate because the records of the interviews of each diagnosis discussed in the article was tweak in order to fit the information presented. Many people still fear the risk of having children with autism in spite of the fact that, as of today, there is no direct link to the two, and that the benefits provided by the vaccine overcome the negative aspects. It wasn't until 2001 that the controversy became an upsized phenomenon where there were multiple review articles written in regard to the Lancet article. This controversy is still a large dispute today, and it will continue to keep on going until parents around the world have some more assurance and research to verify that the MMR vaccine is not related to autism in children.