antonaki1 wrote:The whole anti vax movement is really gaining steam among parents in the U.S. and even Europe because of the alarming incidence of children ending up with autism and a whole host of other health issues at a very young age.
Vaccines and AutismCenters for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.htmlSome people have had concerns that ASD might be linked to the vaccines children receive, but studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing ASD. In 2011, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) reportexternal icon on eight vaccines given to children and adults found that with rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe.
A 2013 CDC study [PDF – 204 KB]external icon added to the research showing that vaccines do not cause ASD. The study looked at the number of antigens (substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies) from vaccines during the first two years of life. The results showed that the total amount of antigen from vaccines received was the same between children with ASD and those that did not have ASD.
One vaccine ingredient that has been studied specifically is thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used to prevent contamination of multidose vials of vaccines. Research shows that thimerosal does not cause ASD. In fact, a 2004 scientific reviewexternal icon by the IOM concluded that “the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal–containing vaccines and autism.” Since 2003, there have been nine CDC-funded or conducted studies pdf icon[PDF – 357 KB] that have found no link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and ASD, as well as no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and ASD in children.
Between 1999 and 2001, thimerosal was removed or reduced to trace amounts in all childhood vaccines except for some flu vaccines. This was done as part of a broader national effort to reduce all types of mercury exposure in children before studies were conducted that determined that thimerosal was not harmful. It was done as a precaution. Currently, the only childhood vaccines that contain thimerosal are flu vaccines packaged in multidose vials. Thimerosal-free alternatives are also available for flu vaccine. For more information, see the Timeline for Thimerosal in Vaccines.
Besides thimerosal, some people have had concerns about other vaccine ingredients in relation to ASD as well. However, no links have been found between any vaccine ingredients and ASD.
Origin of the myth that vaccines causes autismhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5789217/In the late 1990s, Andrew Wakefield, a physician at Royal Free Hospital in London, published an article in The Lancet, claiming to have found the explanation for autism in the measles virus
With a simple and catchy scientific explanation secured, politicians and leaders of the powerful organizations of parents of autistic children rallied around Wakefield. Dan Burton, a US congressman and a strong proponent of the relationship between vaccines and autism held a hearing on the topic, attended and cheered by autism support organizations. The press found the perfect story: the victims (the children and the parents), the villain (the pharmaceutical industry profiting from the vaccine), and the conspirators (the scientists helping the government to hide the truth from the public). The Guardian, the Daily Mail, The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, CNN, and CBS (60 Minutes) interviewed devastated parents who had witnessed their normally developing child regressing into autistic behavior soon after being injected with the MMR vaccine. In an attempt to provide balanced reporting, the media gave equal exposure to scientific evidence and opinions. Celebrity anecdotal testimony, such as that from the actress Jenny McCarthy, and news stories (Did then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair vaccinate his child?) appeared in the media alongside reports by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or peer-reviewed meta-analyses. Tort lawyers did not miss the opportunity to join the fray. In the United Kingdom and the United States, individual and class action suits against vaccine manufacturers were initiated, and plaintiff lawyers provided financial support to researchers backing the association between vaccines and autism.
In 2005, an investigative reporter alerted The Lancet's editors that Wakefield's study had been flawed by severe research misconduct, conflict of interests, and probably falsehood. After investigating the matter, The Lancet retracted the article, and the British Medical Association took disciplinary actions against Wakefield. Since the Wakefield report, any direct connection between autism and the MMR vaccine has been discredited by dozens of studies investigating the epidemiology of autism and the biological effects of MMR and the mumps virus
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My take,
At the end of the day if you believe the myth more than the established science you will never accept the science and I think that is a large part of the increase of the anti-science/math/intellectual movement. Their feelings and general mistrust makes them open to believe anything that supports their world view already (Echo Chamber). This anti-science movement imo is quite scary. When people decide their own truths beyond the actual science / facts and call things they believe to be facts and things they don't believe to be fake then no amount of good science can change that.
