Should a one yr old get the MMR vaccine?

Question

I have heard cases of autism

Answer 1

Yes, but with caveats.

The autism link was never proven -- unless you believe the conspiracy theories and some of them are very convicing.

The suspicion was brought about by thimerosol, a mercury compound that was used as a vaccine preservative. There was no reason for the drug companies to use such a toxic compound except that it is very, very cheap. Vaccines are cheap to buy and cheap to produce, but the per-unit price is only worthwhile for companies if they can make a lot at once and then store it while they produce more profitable drugs instead. They actually increased the amount of thimerosol at one point and the government changed the guidelines of what would be considered safe levels of mercury exposure for babies to accomodate the manufacturers. It was after this move that cases of autism started to increase four-fold. However, there may be other reasons for that in addition to mercury in vaccines. About a year ago, thimerosol was banned from new vaccines, but the government allowed them the pharma companies to continur to sell existing stock. So, that could take one year if you get your vaccine from a doctor's office stock or ten years if you get it from the military or a UN agency who both buy very bulk.

Still, measles, mumps and rubella can and do kills kids and even when it is minor, pregnant women who come into contact with the diseases can have bind, deformed babies as a result. Kids need to be vaccinated for the public good.

I dealth with this in two ways. I increased the amount of time between vaccines. My son had his MMR at 2 years, instead of 12 months to spread out mercury exposure. And now, for my daughter, I pay for new vaccine stock that does not contain thimerosol rather than use office stock that could be years old. I also never vaccinate them when they have little colds or other health issues. I figure their immune systems are busy enough.

I am pro-vaccine, but I am also pro-vaccine safety and I am afraid we cannpt trust the drug companies in the slightest. Links to articles on these and related issues below.

Answer 2

Autism isn't linked to MMR, it's just something that starts showing up at the same age. The MMR is actually given more than once during the first year too, it's broken down into parts. Some argue that the MMR is a pointless vaccination though because if the diseases it covers (measles, mumps, and rubella) are not that rough if contracted during childhood and are rarely come across. So basically it's your own decision when it comes down to it.

Answer 3

Neither measles, mumps nor rubella is a deadly disease anymore. The incidence of deaths from measles dropped 99.4% BEFORE the vaccine was introduced.
http://www.whale.to/m/measlesdeaths1.html

The diseases are a serious pain if you're a working parent and your child won't be allowed in daycare while they recover, they can also be problems for children (and adults) who are immuno-compromised to begin with.

On the other hand, there are risks from the vaccine, and not only from the mercury. There is a story here about a death following an MMR injection that you might be interested in:
http://www.whale.to/v/joseph.html

Vaccines have been implicated in the rise of:
Food allergies
Asthma
ADHD
Diabetes
Arthritis
and other syndromes, diseases and complications.
http://www.whale.to/a/vax_dis.html

You MUST research the pros and cons of vaccinations yourself to understand the issues and risks associated with all the options available. Some good websites that will give you BOTH sides of the issues are:
http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec8000e2f3
http://www.909shot.com
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2005/9241580364_chap6.pdf
http://thinktwice.com
http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaers/vaers.htm
http://www.vaccineinfo.net

Persoanlly, I never vaccinated any of my 3 children and they are all perfectly healthy. I made my choices based on the information I had and I'm happy with them. You'll need to make your own choices based on the best information you can find so that you will be happy with your choices too.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Vaccinations are bad for you!

A vaccinated person is MORE likely to get a disease than a non-vaccinated person. The whole theory of vaccination is flawed. It causes a weakening of the immune system thus making those who are innoculated more susceptible to disease.
There are so many awful side effects to vaccination that it should be considered extremely dangerous.
Just sit back and think for a while.
Is there any sense in injecting a disease directly into your bloodstream.
We have been subjected to an awful mind control program to enable the drug manufacturers to make a fortune.

The Vaccination Hoax
http://www.whale.to/b/hoax1.html

Answer 5

As parents, we all have to make the best choice for our children, and we struggled with this same issue. We decided that it was best for our boys to have all of their vaccines, including the MMR. After much research we determined it was unlikely that it was linked to Autism and we'd rather risk it that our children coming in contact with the diseases that the vaccine's prevent. We also want our children to attend public schools and where we live, it is required to have all vaccinations.
Good luck with your decision. I fully understand your concerns!
Jillian

Answer 6

Well, opinions vary my dear. I suggest you research, research, research....and not just on the pro-vaccine sites. If there would be any more of a controversial vaccine, its the MMR. More children have drops in their behavior and show signs of autism after that shot. Be very careful and watch your toddler closely if you choose to go that route. Do not give Tylenol as this covers up fevers etc....exactly what you NEED to know. Dialogue reactions in case you need to make an emergency room trip, you'll need all your facts together.
My husband and I chose not to vaccinate our 3 kids, we feel that our children are safer without having their immune systems invaded by toxic chemicals. If they were to contract any of those diseases, their bodies would provide natural immunity thus keeping them from getting the diseases again. If you look at statistics, the majority of incidences of the so-called preventable diseases occur in vaccintaed children, hmmmmmm.

...a previous poster said that the age of autism occuring and coin-ciding with the MMR is a fluke, so....is SIDS occuring at 2-4-6mo a fluke as well? Sounds awfully close to the vaccine schedule, my closest friends baby dies of "SIDS" 18 hrs after his 4mo shots.....another hmmmmmm

Answer 7

Do you want your baby to die from Measles, Mumps or Rubella? Of course not. So you get the vaccination. Besides the autism link was with themerisol, the preservative, which is no longer used as of I think 2000.

Answer 8

You are probably going to be forced to get it depending on where you live, wether you want to or not. Most school systems now won't accept children who haven't had their vaccines. Since it is a good thing to be informed tho I have included a link to a webpage devoted to discussion on MMR dangers.

Answer 9

The link is very loose, not a strong report. They still do not know what causes autism. I'd say take the vaccine.

Answer 10

Speak with your pediatrician, but autism is a very very rare side effect of vaccinations. I personally believe I would rather know I did everything to keep my child healthy than fear a reaction that is rare. Mumps, one of the diseases covered by this disease causes sterility. Rubella, if contracted while pregnant can cause the baby to be blind (my dad is blind because of this,) measles can lead to infections, meningitis and encephalitis. You need to weigh the possibility of a very rare reaction to the higher risk of the side effects of these diseases.