The development of vaccines has spelled tremendous difference in the health of nations. Historically, many outbreaks could not be contained due to the lack of preventative measures. As is often quoted in medical circles, prevention is better than cure. This holds the basic premise why children are normally vaccinated against common diseases, a lot of which can be deadly and were in fact fatal for many generations prior to the discovery of their cures and inoculations.
Along with this advancement in medical science, these last few years have also ushered in a greater consciousness among parents about the chronic development disorder called autism. Although a direct cause of the disorder has not yet been identified, many research has allowed the earlier detection of the condition based on certain behavioral cues in toddlers, or even babies younger than that age.
Autism is typically first identified between the ages of 18 to 30 months. This might have been the initial reason why some studies looked into the possibility of some vaccines administered prior to that age as increasing the risk of autism in children. For example, some studies have pinpointed certain vaccines given before the age of one year as upping the risk of autism occurrence in male children. But is there in fact scientific evidence for this claim?
These concerns typically centered on vaccines containing mercury or thimerosal. Interestingly, though, extensive reports coming from national health institutes in the United States have found that there is no proven link to these vaccines and autism. In fact, many health agencies believe the risks, if any, would be negligible and the benefits of vaccination will far outweigh any of these perceived risks.
The timing of identifying autism at about the same age range as when children typically receive vaccinations is a major reason why there was a mistaken assumption of cause and effect. But recent studies have shown increasing evidence that autism may be determined even while the baby is still in the womb during pregnancy. This at least assures mothers that they do not have to worry about vaccinations “causing” autism. If ever you do have concerns or doubts about the vaccines, it would be best to discuss your concerns with your pediatrician.
In any case, the usual vaccinations recommended for children from birth to 12 months include those against tuberculosis, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, measles, mumps, German measles, poliomyelitis, and Hepatitis B. If you are concerned about the number of shots that your fragile newborn will be getting, there are actually numerous combination vaccines made available today, significantly reducing the number of injections needed.
Also, doctors typically only postpone vaccination for certain medical reasons, such as when a child is sick and has a high temperature of over 38.5 degrees Centigrade. A runny nose is not usually reason to postpone a vaccination as long as the child is otherwise healthy, or is taking antibiotics and is recovering. Experts typically prefer not to postpone vaccinations as it will put the child at greater risk for the sickness for which vaccination was held off. Of course, there are certain cases when doctors would not be able to give vaccination to children. This is typically limited to children with immune deficiency disorders, or those who are on certain medication, when the doctor determines that the vaccination may interfere with their ability to fight infection.
This is why the issue between a possible link between vaccination and autism has to be settled once and for all, as a child who misses a vaccination because his mother does not want him to have a higher risk for autism will be at risk for that particular disease supposedly combated by the vaccine.
As stated earlier, if you are still uncertain and would like your doubts put to rest, do not be afraid to ask your pediatrician. Remember, he should, and usually does, have your child’s best interest at heart, and you can partner with him in discussing your child’s condition. Also, if you have qualms about some issues in your child’s development, be sure to discuss them with your doctor, as he can help you identify possible problem areas at an early stage.
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