As humans, we constantly battle different bacteria and viruses on a daily basis. By walking outside, we are exposed to diseases as simple as a common cold virus to harsher illnesses such as the flu. With the discovery of vaccinations, people are living longer and diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella have almost been completely eradicated until recently.
A trend on the rise is to “opt-out” of vaccinating children out of fear of them developing autism or other learning disabilities. Although the conspiracy of children developing autism has been disproven, more and more parents are choosing to become part of the anti-vaccination movement. The recent report (Greenville News; November 2, 2018) of measles cases in the upstate in unvaccinated children brings to the forefront the question about the risks and benefits of vaccines.
The fear of children developing autism among parents is widely due, in part, to a lack of understanding of the causes of autism. Instead of learning to adapt to the challenges that autism can bring, parents are choosing to expose their children to a plethora of diseases that have been virtually eliminated from our modern world.
A study conducted by the Sanders Lab at UCSF in 2014, concluded that autism is most likely caused by a genetic mutation and not vaccinations. Many parents also refuse to accept the fact that their genetic makeup may have caused their child to develop autism and are looking for a scapegoat to explain the disorder.
The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, also known as MMR, is recommended for children at age 12 months old in order for the child to build anti-bodies to protect them in early childhood and adulthood. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 600 cases of measles in the United States alone in 2014.
Without these vaccinations and many others, children are not allowed to attend public school due to risk of spreading disease. Most importantly, those who are not vaccinated are exposing those who may not be able to receive the vaccination, or who have weakened immune systems, to diseases that should not be reoccurring in our world of modern medicine.
Though there is much speculation to what causes autism in children, the general thinking is that vaccinations do more good than harm. Modern medicine has shaped the world for the better by wiping out diseases that would kill millions. Children are no longer dying in mass numbers due to diseases like measles and are able to live disease free whether they are autistic or not.
