Parents make the primary choices 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 will not 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 this 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 this disorder. Of course it is practical for a parent to be worried about their child being diagnosed with autism, or any disorder for that matter, but it cannot be worse than the feeling of having a child die due to something that could have 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 widely debated topic, it has been supported that no vaccination has been found to cause anything on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, and not vaccinating children could be vital because the benefit of vaccinating will always outweigh the cost that could ultimately result.

Someone with 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 is not as severe. The rate of autism is steadily rising and the cause is still unclear; however, research has suggested that it is not due to vaccinations. Vaccinations are given in the earlier stages of life and autism just so happens to typically develop during adolescence. Numerous studies, which are presented 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. Pit is important that people understand how dangerous it can be to be unvaccinated. Death can often times happen very quickly before severe symptoms even begin to show. Take the preventive means to protect yourself and your children against these diseases while there is 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 talks about some interesting findings. Largent was not only a curious scholar, but also a concerned parent. Throughout his 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 were done by a team of researchers, particularly of the vaccine thimerosal, it was “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 potentially be dangerous. It has been seen in history that the deadly diseases that can come from not being vaccinated can easily wipe out a large portion of the population. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine was ruled out continuously, so there should be no reason for the public to believe there is any connection whatsoever. However, media began to take part in this debate which caused more disturbance than expected.

It is shown that media’s opinions being broadcasted truly effects the way that the public takes action. In 1998, thimerosal began to be mentioned in the media due to a paper by Wakefield that expressed concern for the MMR vaccine (Helft 1). 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 their own 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 are not 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 do not ever expect it to happen, but an outbreak is really the main outcome of people not vaccinating their kids at a young age. 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 specific cases that would represent the thousands of families that filed claims similar to them. This court hearing 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 (Begley 45). An answer could not 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 if vaccines were the source of it. 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 this disorder. 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 that “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, and also a big part of the population that is not getting vaccinated as they should be, potentially putting themselves and others in danger. 

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 could not be shown whether vaccinated or unvaccinated children would be susceptible to autism (Turville 5494). 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 have, with or without vaccinations. There was no harm that these researchers could find throughout any of the children studied.

Although most professionals will look at the facts for their answer, some still are on the opposing 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 mentions how Vitamin A in the body is lowered due to the MMR vaccine, how the immune system is suppressed and can not 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 from the sources used 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 by 57% (Ratajczak 69). This makes for 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 is shown that 29% developed ASD (Gallagher 1673). There is many more people developing autism compared to boys who received the hepatitis B vaccine after one month of being born or never even receiving the vaccination. Although this article primarily focuses on males, I still believe it's relevant due to the male to 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. This resulted in more studies attempting to uncover answers.

Trials on primates began to take place when the debate continued to be in the spotlight. Tested were vaccines from 1990 and 2008 because thimerisol’s highest exposure in a vaccine was in 1990 and 2008 immunizations and had the greatest variety of vaccines that are very similar to the current vaccine schedule for infants within the United States (Gadad 12499). No negative effects could be found after the administration of the vaccines and 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 still not be made. No signs of a social deficits, language abnormalities, or repetitive patterns could be spotted by the observers. This information suggests that vaccinations do not have any part in the cause of autism. Billions of dollars have been put towards solving 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 in search for an answer. 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 actual 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 (Goin-Kochel 1335). All of these children have ASD, whether it have occurred during early onset or if it showed up later in life. Researchers took the parents word of which vaccines each child received (Goin-Kochel 1340). They could not find a solid pattern for the development of autism with the time that the 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 noticed correlation with all the research provided throughout this study, so it does seem important to mention. These vaccines are the most 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 are not 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 do not seem to be related. Mercury is neurotoxic, however it has been proven relentlessly that it does not effect the brain. No signs of any swelling, on any section of the brain, could be found from mercury. Abnormal behaviors could be noticed after the immunizations were given in each of these studies. Not one 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 should not be thought of as a problem. If it was a threat whatsoever, the production vaccines would have stopped a long time ago. If the media portrayed the correct information then the public would have all the right facts. It becomes a risk for everyone when people stop vaccinating their kids because they hear false information. 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 one gets vaccinated. In several peoples opinions, it is not worth it to take the chance with not getting vaccinations because an outbreak can happen fast. It might 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 that we can potentially prevent. Do not allow your child to run the risk of illness because of something that they could have been protected against. These children cannot make these choices on their own, so it is important that adults, parents make the best decision for their kids and everyone else in the population. Protect yourself and others against the real threats of society and be knowledgeable on all the information pertaining to getting vaccinations.

Vaccinations would not 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 should not be taken lightly as it could ultimately result in life or death. It can potentially be dangerous for many people when someone is susceptible to a deadly disease. Numerous studies have proven that no vaccination that has ever been given has been the cause of autism. When deciding whether you should or should not vaccinate your kids, remember to look at the science. Look at the multitude of case studies that all came to the same conclusion: Vaccinations do not cause autism.
