My one year old will have to get the shots form the MMR and tentus...isnt the MMR linked to autism?

Question

I was just wondreing if anyone opted NOT to give thier child the MMR bec of the autism scare?? I am thinking of waiting until he goes to school ..(he is not in daycare..i stay home iwht him)....i am so confuesd..today he recevied the shot for chicken pox and earlier this year, my son had the flu shot....i am stilll nervous...any suggestions/?

Answer 1

Make sure you ask your pediatrician if the vaccines he uses have mercury in them as a preservative. If he can't tell you, or he says that they DO have mercury in them, try another doctor until you find one who promises that he/she is not using older vaccines containing mercury. While there is no scientific proof that mercury preservatives are linked to autism, that is what the "scare" is all about. If you avoid the mercury, you avoid the danger, assuming there is any. Not getting yoru child vaccinated is foolish. Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are not diseases you want your child to suffer from. They can have permanent consequences too.

Answer 2

I have 2 sons with autism - both at the high functioning level. I didn't know anything about autism when my older son (now age 7) received the MMR vaccination, but I did a lot of research before my younger son (now age 2 1/2) was vaccinated. From what I've read, there really is no link between the MMR vaccination and autism. Children oftentimes first manifest the symptoms of autism at around the same age (18 months or so) as when the MMR is given but nothing I've read indicates that there is a cause and effect relationship. Also, there was a concern about mercury used as a preservative for the vaccines, but that is largely moot now as it is no longer used. Just to be safe, I would check with your pediatrician to make sure that mercury isn't being used in the vaccine. I ultimately decided that the chances of my child developing autism or increasing his likelihood of developing autism from the MMR were basically nil and that leaving him susceptible to measles, mumps and rubella was a far greater health risk. He was later diagnosed with autism, but I don't "blame" the MMR since autism clearly has a genetic component in my family. My bottom line is don't be so concerned about autism that you expose the child to devastating diseases when there is no evidence that the MMR is linked to the astounding increase in autism cases. I hope that helps, and that your child stays healthy and happy.

Answer 3

Your child can wait till he goes to school to have the shot.
The FDA researcher said that there isn't any link, but I will tell you that the FDA gets major funding from the pharmaceutical companies that make these vaccines, so really they have to say that if they want to keep their pocket books full.

Anyways, I personally do selective/delayed vaccination with my children now after learning a lot about the different vaccines. My 6 month old daughter will never receive the MMR vaccine, unfortunately it is the children that have been recently vaccinated that actually pose a threat because they are in a manner of speaking infected since they just got the vaccine. Boys unfortunately at a higher risk of developing autism than girls, I am not saying girls can't get it I am saying that it occurs more frequently in boys.

I personally feel that everyone should educate themselves about vaccines and then make informed decisions.
Do not be afraid to hold off on the vaccine and don't let anyone tell you that your making a mistake by delaying the vaccine or any vaccines.
My daughter is 6 months old and she is not going to get any vaccines until she is 9 months and then it is only going to be the ones that I have selected and only one at a time.

There is an awesome unbiased web site http://www.909shot.com that goes over almost everything and has a ton of info for your research in educating yourself.
Here is a very good article http://www.vaccinationnews.com/dailynews/september2001/vaccinations.htm
http://www.mercola.com has some good info on autism and its origins.

Good luck to you! If you need any other info just send me a message.

Answer 4

There is yet to be any hard-core scientific proof, other than conjecture that the MMR is related to autism.

However, the MMR can be a deadly vaccine to children in high-risk groups and often though the odds are slim, several children are struck down by the MMR.

Inuries from the MMR include permanent bi-lateral hearing loss, meningitis, an allergic reaction to the mercury used to preserve the vaccine, or the proteins used in the vaccine to make the live virus vaccine.

My suggestion is that you go through this very carefully with the pediatrician and make sure you know all of the risks.

You should be made aware of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/

If your child is injured by a vaccine in anyway, you only have a very short time to file a claim under the program.

Make sure that you have complete disclosures and that you have the brochure, along with the lot numbers of the vaccines your child receives.

Answer 5

The evidence on either side is inconclusive and this is, consequently, a very personal decision. As an NAS Trustee and as a parent I come at this from two different perspectives but actually end up with the same conclusion.
My son clearly started to demonstrate the behaviours that were to lead to his diagnosis of classic Kanners Autism shortly after his MMR vaccination. Furthermore I have video footage of him at 16 months of age showing him making clear eye contact whilst playing with other children. Despite this I have not come to the conclusion that there was a direct causal link to his autism. The development milestones that should but don't occur around the age of 18 months to 30 months are the signals that alert us that our child might have some difficulties. Consequently there is a possibility it is all coincidental.
However the case history studies that have been used to disprove peoples concerns (I think they call it epidemiology) is in my view useless. The fact that it proves beyond any doubt that the vast majority of people who receive MMR do not turn out to be on the Autistic spectrum is of little import. This is especially the case if you consider the possibility that there might be some form of genetic predisposition to Autism that is then triggered by an external factor - such as MMR, diet etc.
The fact is we don't know for sure. My advice? Gather lots of information then decide yourself. Certainly I see only limited danger in delaying until a child is a bit older and stronger.
I have to say that the NAS position statement on this matter is actually very good. That hasn't always been the case and I, as a Director and Trustee, previously clashed with the NAS Management on the matter as I felt the position was too close to the Government line and not reflective of the concerns of parents. I honestly believe that Management have now got it about right and it is an excellent reference point. You can find it at: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=459&a=5577

Answer 6

my son just turned 1 last month and i decided i would wait until he is 15 months old to get the mmr shot because of the same issue. The doctor said that the dosage will always stay the same so i figure by the time he is 15 months old he will weigh a little more and it wouldn't affect his little body as much. but i don't know, i might just hold off until he goes to school. that does sound like a good idea. i actually had a lady at a fair walk up to me and warn me about vaccinations and autism and stated that she workes with autistic children so i've been scared to death over it. My sons doctor also said that since he is right on tract with all of his milestones and doing better than some kids his age that i really shouldn;t worry and he has no signs of autism one bit. You are right to be worried about autism since it affects 1 in 166 children. Those are crazy statistics. I didn't give my son the flu shot either for the same reason and he didn't catch anything at all, he hasn't even been sick once and he is 13 months old. Whatever decision you make will be the best one for you and your child.

Answer 7

We also have an infant coming up on his MMR and we're looking at finding the separate shots.

To the person that said "not to worry" about the link between MMR and autism all I can say is this:
- doctors used to say cigarettes weren't a health risk
- cocaine was prescribed by doctors in the early 1900's
- thimerosal was deemed "completely safe" for infants

These all seem ridiculous in hindsight...maybe MMR/autism is next in this line?

Search the web and you'll find lots of horror stories about how children "went dark" days or even hours after their MMR shot...are they ALL coincidences?

Our prior pediatrician said "MMR is absolutely safe"...but when asked what was causing the spike in autism, he said "We simply don't know.." then how are you so sure it isn't the MMR?

Answer 8

The Amercian Academy of Pediatric and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have concluded that there is no link between vaccines and autism. There is much greater risk of your son becoming ill with measles, mumps, or rubella without the vaccine and the vaccine is not linked to autism. Those other diseases can be fatal or lead to permanent complications. If you are uneasy about the MMR being given all at once, you can ask your pediatrician to split up the vaccines at different appointments. Just phone your pediatrician of this choice before your appointment otherwise they will have all 3 vaccines prepared together when you arrive and they may bill you for all three.

Answer 9

I am holding off having my 12m old vaccinated for the very same reason. I asked my Dr and he said that it would be fine to wait 6-9 months but any longer he would not recommend.
I know EXACTLY what you are feeling on this. You want to keep them healthy yet are they being put at risk with these shots. From what I have read the preservative (Therminsol sp?) in the vaccine itself used to have a trace amount of mercury. The ones that are manufactured now no longer do with the exception of flu shots. As far as risk factors there are a lot of theories out there but the one that make the most sense to me is that there is a genetic predisposition for autism that is triggered by *something*. Is it mercury? Who knows.

Also, never let anyone sway your parenting instinct with BS about how the government is all about looking out for you and your family. If it doesn't feel right to you it probably isn't.

Good luck.

Answer 10

Let's all show those pharmaceutical companies who's boss. Stop vaccinating, and the next time your child gets sick, you'd better not give them the antibiotics, we'll put those pharmaceutical companies out of business. On the other hand, people in the funeral business might start getting all of our money.

My son has autism, and vaccines are NOT to blame. The benefits of vaccines outweighs the risks by far. Otherwise doctors would not give them. The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. One known cause of autism is rubella during pregnancy. Rubella during pregnancy can also lead to many other problems in the fetus. All three; Measles, mumps, and rubella can be fatal, can lead to hearing loss, and swelling of the brain, as well as high fevers. High fevers can cause seizures.

I don't know about you, but I would prefer my children alive. I do trust their doctor. If there was a question about your child being able to handle the vaccine at a certain age, the doctor would have brought it up and addressed with you, otherwise your child is healthy enough to receive the vaccines as recommended.

There is no Autism scare, autism is not as bad as people make it out to be. The video made by autism speaks (does NOT speak for my son) only highlights the negative side of autism. ALL children have their share of meltdowns, ALL children have a moment of sensory overload, ALL children have to learn not to run in the road, and even 'typical' children have bad days. For someone to say that she thought about driving off a bridge because of her autistic daughter and didn't because of her typical daughter is just sick. She doesn't deserve the rewarding experience of raising a child with autism. I feel bad for the children who are not accepted by their families, not for the families who have to 'deal' with the child.