Parents make the choice regarding what their babies need to strive. Vaccinations have always been a topic of debate among many people. Some are under the impression that there is no way a child should go without these shots, while others refuse to believe they help whatsoever. It goes even so far that many parents won't let their children receive vaccinations because they believe it will cause a mental disability such as autism. Why do people believe autism could be a result of vaccinations? Many theories have been developed based on research on the cause of autism. Although there are many ideas that people let themselves believe, it is still unsolved what the true cause is, or if there are multiple causes. People take the risk of a potential life threatening disease coming over their child because they truly think their kid will have a higher chance of developing a mental disability with vaccines. Vaccinations are a preventive measure taken by many people to protect the body from infectious diseases. Although vaccines have the capability to protect someone from harm, many people still refuse to let their child be vaccinated due to the belief that vaccinations cause Autism. Media is a big source that continues to misguide concerned parents into believing that there is a link between vaccines and autism. Of course it is practical for a parent to be worried about their child being diagnosed with autism, but it can’t be worse than the feeling of having one’s child die due to something that could've been prevented with a vaccine. Adults need to be educated on the matter because not receiving vaccinations could not only cause the death of one's own child, but also other people in contact with that person. With the help of many scholars studying this speculated topic, it has been confirmed that no vaccination has been found to cause anything on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, and not vaccinating one’s child could be vital because the benefit of vaccinating will always outweigh the cost that could ultimately result.

Someone on the Autism Spectrum Disorder has impaired communication and social interaction. This brain based disorder sets apart the way one thinks, acts, communicates, and learns. It is possible that someone with autism will need help doing daily tasks for the rest of their lives, while other times it’s not as severe. The rate of autism is steadily rising and the cause is still unclear. People need to dismiss the belief that vaccinations cause ASD. Vaccinations are given in earlier stages of life and autism just so happens to typically develop in adolescence. Numerous studies, which are shown throughout this paper, are detailed and all generally had the same outcome. No link could be found between vaccinations causing autism. No evidence, not in one single kid out of the millions tested, could make a connection. It has been proven that vaccines are safe for peoples wellbeing, but still not everyone is being vaccinated. People need to understand how dangerous it can be to be unvaccinated. Death can often happen very quickly before severe symptoms even begin to show. Take the preventive means to protect yourself against these diseases while theres still a chance. No harm can come from getting your kid vaccinated, and the science can prove this.

The cause of autism is still under debate throughout many people in the world. The article, “Vaccine : The Debate In Modern America,” by Mark Largent has some interesting findings. Mark was not only a curious scholar, but also a concerned parent. Throughout Mark’s studies, he concluded that a “number of scientific papers suggest that autism is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors” (Largent 70). After many experiments done by a team of researchers, particularly of the vaccine thimerosal, they “concluded that there was no evidence whatsoever of a connection” between vaccinations and autism itself (Largent 73). This article explains the vital reasons that all people should be vaccinated because it is “one of the most effective tools in advancing both individuals’ health and the public’s health” (Largent 172). The rates for people receiving vaccinations has been going down and that could be dangerous. It has been seen in history that these deadly diseases can easily wipe out a large portion of the population. No scientific proof has been proven to allow there to be a connection between autism and vaccines. The MMR vaccine was ruled out continuously, so there should be no reason for the public to believe there is any connection whatsoever. 

In 1998, thimerosal began to be mentioned in the media due to a paper by Wakefield that expressed concern for the MMR vaccine (Helft). Although many trials and experiments began to take place finding no correlation between thimerosal and ASD, many people were already convinced. Once the media got wind of it, people already started forming opinions that biased the beliefs of others. There is clear evidence showing that bad media reports towards thimerosal truly effected how many people received the MMR vaccine in 1998 (Helft 1). Outbreaks are much more likely to be spread when larger populations aren't vaccinated. “Anatomy of a Scare” gave a specific circumstance in London where one false media report actually caused an increase of the measles outbreak by seven times (Begley 42). Outbreaks can be spread much easier than expected in an unvaccinated area. People don’t ever expect it to happen, but an outbreak is really the only outcome of people not vaccinating their kids. It is not as uncommon as one may think to die from one of these preventable diseases. In 2004, a “vaccine court” was settled to deal with the multitude of cases people had filed claiming “their child [had] been injured by a vaccine” (Begley 45). In this court, they tested three cases that would represent the thousands of families that filed claims. This tested wether the MMR vaccine caused autism, the threat of thimerosal in vaccines or exposed alone, and the case of Michelle Cedillo (Begley 45). Continuously, no link was able to be made between ASD and thimerosal, or any vaccines in general. These families attempted to take it to a higher court, but no solution could be found. An answer couldn't be given to these families who were convinced vaccines were the problem. Without an answer to what causes autism, people keep falling back to the question of vaccines. Erina White explains in "Science, Pseudoscience, And The Frontline Practitioner: The Vaccination/Autism Debate,” how science is often overlooked (White 271). Many parents that have a child with ASD will often cling to any explanation they can provide for their child having autism. Regardless of how many times it will be disputed, some people need to have a source for ASD that they can place the blame on. It is stressed how “one in four Americans continue to believe that vaccinations cause autism” (White 269). This is still a big portion of the population that refuses to accept the facts. This a big part of the population that isn't getting vaccinated as they should be. 

The journal Vaccine published "Autism And Vaccination: The Value Of The Evidence Base Of A Recent Meta-Analysis.” 1,256,407 children were tested in this study to determine the “relative safety of MMR and thimerosal containing vaccines” (Turville 5494). Five cohort studies and five case controlled studies all ultimately revealed that “the findings of this meta-analysis suggest that vaccinations are not associated with the development of autism or autism spectrum disorder” (Turville 5494). The only link they could find was that autism is present throughout all the vaccines tested, but it couldn't be shown wether vaccinated or unvaccinated children would be susceptible to autism. With this large of a sample size, it is pretty clear that the data revealed is correct. This case thought of every question that was circling through the publics head at this time and decided they deserved an answer. It even went so far as to see how the MMR vaccine did when it was given at different stages throughout adolescence, but it made no difference. The development of autism, whether it be early onset or late onset, could not be linked to vaccinations. The development of autism occurred just as it normally would’ve, with or without vaccinations. There was no harm that these researchers could find whatsoever in any of the children studied.

Although most professionals will look at the facts for their answer, some still are on the wrong side of this debate. Helen Ratajczak expressed in “Theoretical aspects of autism: Causes—A review,” why she believes there is a link between vaccinations and ASD. This source explains how harmful vaccines can be. It is mentioned how Vitamin A in the body is lowered due to the MMR vaccine, how the immune system is suppressed and can't handle a multitude of vaccines at a young age, and how mercury can cause problems such as inflammation. Ratajczak looks into a number of potential causes. All that can be agreed upon is that autism is steadily on the rise in recent years. It is still unclear as to why autism from 2002 to 2006 jumped up 57% (Ratajczak 69). This does make a pretty good case that it could be an environmental factor, but the trials have ruled out thimerisol. “Hepatitis B Vaccination Of Male Neonates And Autism Diagnosis, NHIS 1997-2002,” came to an interesting realization from their studies. 193 children with autism were tested while 79,690 without autism were also included. The approximate ratio of males to females with autism was 5:1. If a male child is vaccinated in their first month of life, it was shown that 29% developed ASD. This was many more people developing autism compared to boys who received the hepatitis B vaccine after one month of being born or never receiving the vaccination. Although this article primarily focuses on males, I still believe it's relevant due to the male/female ratio of people with autism. No study was able to find a sound reason for why males develop autism far more frequently than females.

Trials on primates even began to take place when the debate continued to be in the spotlight. Tested were vaccines from 1990 and 2008. Thimerisol’s highest exposure in a vaccine was in 1990 and 2008 immunizations had the greatest variety of vaccines and is very similar to the current vaccine schedule for US infants (Gadad 12499). No negative effects could be found after the administration of the vaccines. The control group showed no differences with the infant macaques. All brain functions were looking and functioning as they usually would, showing no inflammation or growth on any section of the brain. It even went so far as to study various social and nonsocial behaviors, but a link could not be made. No signs of a social deficits, language abnormalities, or repetitive patterns could be spotted by the observers. The speculation that vaccinations have any part in autism needs to be dismissed. Billions of dollars have been put towards this question throughout the last two decades. Not only people, but also animals, have had to endure the long hours and various trials that have occurred recently. No new information could come from any more research, as it has all already been answered. Study after study prove that there is no correlation, and the real cause is still out there and needs to be discovered.

Another study, "Parental Report Of Vaccine Receipt In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Do Rates Differ By Pattern Of ASD Onset?,” had six vaccines (DPT/DTaP, HepB, Hib, polio, MMR, varicella) studied throughout a group of 2755 children. All these children have ASD, wether it be early onset or if it showed up later in life. Researchers took the parents word of which vaccines each child received. They could not find a solid pattern for the development of autism with the time vaccines were presented. Some people may not want to believe this article due to it taking the parents word for the majority of the data. Files could not be produced for all the children in the study, but the notes from the researchers reveal the same thing. There is no obvious correlation with all the research provided, so it does seem important to mention. These vaccines are very common ones for people to receive during adolescence. If not one of those 2755 children showed any red flags towards those vaccinations, then it is pretty safe to assume that they aren't the cause of autism. 

This foreign substance, thimerisol, in vaccinations caused hysteria when some people began to believe it caused ASD. Although it was transferred out of childhood vaccines starting in 2001, people still believe it could be the cause. If it was transferred out of immunizations and autism is still on the rise, then the two obviously aren't related. Mercury is neurotoxic, however it has been proven relentlessly that it doesn't effect the brain. No signs of any swelling on any section of the brain could be found. No abnormal behaviors could be noticed after the immunizations were given in each of these studies. No study showed an identifiable outbreak in autism after vaccines were administered. Any correlation that someone says they see with vaccinations and autism is mere coincidence and shouldn't be taken seriously. If it was a threat whatsoever, vaccines would've stopped a long time ago. Media needs to portray the correct information so that the public has all the right facts. People seem to forget how much people really listen to what they hear on television. It becomes a risk for everyone when people stop vaccinating their kids. All schools should be aware of the immunization status of a child to determine if they are a risk to other children. Diseases such as Diphtheria, Haemophilus, Influenzae Type B (Hib), Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Influenza (Flu), Measles, Meningococcal, Mumps, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Pneumococcal Disease, Polio, Rotavirus, Rubella, Shingles (Herpes Zoster), Tetanus and Varicella (Chickenpox) can all be protected against when you get vaccinated. It is not worth it to take the chance with vaccinations because an outbreak happens fast. It’ll be too late once the child begins developing symptoms of one of these diseases. We have vaccinations for a reason and that is because these diseases are a threat. Don’t let your child die due to something that they could've been protected against. These children can't make this choice on their own, so it’s important that adults make the best decision for everyone in the population. Protect yourself against the real threats of society and be knowledgeable on all the information.

Vaccinations wouldn't be given if the risks outweighed the costs. Vaccines are a precaution people can decide to take to protect their bodies from an infectious disease. This decision shouldn't be taken lightly as it could ultimately result in life or death. When deciding whether you should or shouldn't vaccinate your kids, remember to look at the science. Look at the multitude of case studies that all came to the same conclusion: Vaccinations don’t cause autism. 
