I said I wouldn't post about vaccines again. Really. I did. But this I can't really help. I know Non-Toxic Readers have strong opinions about vaccines. It is a hot button issue I decided not to touch anymore.
But this is just too big. The New York Times reports that the study linking autism to the MMR vaccine has been retracted. This study was often cited by the anti-vaccine groups as proof the of damage caused to children from vaccines. From the Times:
"A major British medical journal on Tuesday retracted a flawed study linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism and bowel disease.
The retraction by The Lancet comes a day after a competing medical journal, BMJ, issued an embargoed commentary calling for The Lancet to formally retract the study."
I found this very interesting, specifically, the faults with the study. I also just heard this report about the issue on NPR. It featured the much maligned Dr. Paul Offit, author of Autism's False Prophets, co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine and chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. I found his interview quite compelling and thought provoking.
6 comments:
"you have to look at tens of thousands of children who either do or don't eat peanut butter sandwiches to see whether or not the instance of leukemia is greater in the peanut-butter-sandwich-eating group".
Why hasn't a study been done comparing vaccinated children with un-vaccinated children and the numbers with autism? Seems like a no-brainer. Doesn't the CDC know how many reported autism cases were of children who have been vaccinated vs. unvaccinated?
I just want to comment that we chose not to vaccinate our child, but the Wakefield study had very little impact in that decision.
Here is another article concerning that study http://www.naturalnews.com/028109_Andrew_Wakefield_Jenny_McCarthy.html
Thanks, PureMothers, you ask a really important question. Just today, some news reports are showing links between parental age and autism.
To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate??? I'm a mom of three that struggled with this decision as well. It's hard to not vaccinate your children in California because if you don't they can't get enrolled in public schools or group activities.
They have done numerous studies looking at the rates, and they tend to say there's no link. I chose to wait and selectively vaccinate my kids, gauging the risks of measles, mumps and rubella against the potential for autism. I am closer on the anti-vax side than the other, but I've never been impressed with Wakefield or his studies.
Years ago, I read a letter to the editor in Mothering Magazine. The mom said she vaccinated her first child and he developed autism. As a result, she did not vaccinate her second child-- and he developed autism.
It's a murky issue. Parts are less murky than others, though, like the fact that common sense says you should not give mega-doses of multiple vaccinations to a tiny infant at once, and we really don't need to vaccinate against every illness in the universe.
I have been educating clients and colleagues for years on this subject. Just the fact that you are bringing awareness is beautiful.
Don't feel bad about 'another post on vaccines'! If it takes another one....write it!
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