Running head: ERADICATE THE ANTI VACCINATION MOVEMENT

Chyanna Scherer
English 111-2B, Mrs. B.
Research Paper, 2,535
November 11, 2015
Eradicate the Anti-Vaccination Movement

ERADICATE THE ANTIVACCINATION MOVEMENT

Abstract
In recent history events such as a falsely-informed paper by Andrew Wakefield and his coauthors, along with a non-evidence-based recall of thimersol, a preservative in vaccines, by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration has caused an epidemic of parents not vaccinating their
children. The paper by Wakefield and his colleagues led to wide spread belief that vaccines cause
Autism. Since then, study after study has been done proving there is no causal link between
autism and vaccines and that the preservative thimerosal is in fact safe. Wakefields paper along
with the non-evidence based recommendation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to
remove thimerosal in vaccines caused false information to be the spark that lit the irresponsible
and uninformed Anti-Vaccination Movement.

ERADICATE THE ANTIVACCINATION MOVEMENT

Since just before the turn of the 21st century, parents everywhere have been burdened by
the choice of whether or not to vaccinate their children. Prior to 1998 it was common practice for
all parents to vaccinate their children to prevent horrible and painful diseases. It wasnt until
1998 when Andrew Wakefield and his coauthors published a falsely-informed paper in the The
Lancet that attempted to link the MMR vaccine and Autism Spectrum Disorder, that parents
panicked. (Willingham & Helft, 2014). It is important for parents to review all information and
look past vaccines bad reputation in order to prevent the spread of irrational fear and, deadly
diseases as well as make well-informed decisions for their children.
In 1998 Dr. Andrew Wakefield and 12 of his colleagues published a paper in The Lancet,
a UK medical journal, claiming there was a link between Autism Spectrum Disorder and the
Mumps, Measles and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Despite the small sample size (n=12), the
uncontrolled design, and the speculative nature of the conclusions, the paper received wide
publicity, and MMR vaccination rates began to drop because parents were concerned about the
risk of autism after vaccination. Shortly after the paper was published, study after study was
done disproving the theory of Wakefield and his colleagues (Rao & Andrade, 2011). One of those
studies published in 2001 was entitled Time Trends in Autism and in MMR Immunization
coverage in California by L. Dales. This study focused on California children in Kindergarten
and their vaccination records along with the occurrence of Autism and found no causal link
between the two. Many studies continued to be done discrediting the work of Wakefield and his
colleagues (Willingham & Helft, 2014). Six years after Wakefields paper was published, ten of
the twelve coauthors retracted and claimed no link was found between MMR and Autism and
that the sample size was too small to make any definitive conclusions. Six more years passed
when finally after the discovery of the fact that Wakefield et al used intrusive investigation of the

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child test subjects without ethical clearance or precautions, The Lancet retracted the paper and
shortly after this retraction Wakefield and his coauthors were stripped of their medical licenses
(Rao & Andrade, 2011).
Historically, we have seen how negative things tend to stick in the minds of people. and it
is a difficult task to rebuild the reputation of something after even one false claim is made. For
example, in the 1980s during the discovery of HIV, the disease was portrayed as only infecting
gay men. At that time, being gay was such a taboo and negative thing, people with HIV were
considered disgusting and people were sure the diseases could only infect gay men. To this day,
the rates of HIV testing are low because even twenty years later, average people believe HIV can
only affect gay men. Similarly, because of the tiniest hint of danger associated with vaccines,
even though false, parents across the world associated vaccines with danger and stopped
vaccinating their children. This problem was exacerbated in 1999, just one year after the
publication of Wakefields paper, when the U.S. Drug and Food Administration reviewed an
ingredient in vaccines called Thimerosal. Thimerosal is a mercury-based agent found in
vaccines to preserve the vaccination and prevent bacterial growth within it. Upon review the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration found no link between thimerosal and neurological complications
such as Autism and also determined the preservative to be safe. Despite these findings, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration recommended the preservative be removed from infant
vaccinations simply as a precaution in 2001 this recommendation came to life and the
preservative was removed from most vaccines in the United States (Willingham & Helft, 2014).
Since this time, many studies have been done to disprove any link between thimerosal
and Autism. Despite the findings of at least eight safety review panels, parents everywhere still
believe that thimerosal is dangerous (Baker, 2008). Of the most recent, in August of 2015, the

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CDC did a study on prenatal and infant thimerosal exposure in vaccines. The study consisted of
1,008 children aged six to thirteen who had lived with their biological mothers since birth and
were vaccinated according to schedule with injections that included thimerosal. Of the 1,008
participants 256 were diagnosed with autism and 752 were not, a rate that matched that of
Autism ordinarily, despite vaccines. These numbers as well as those from a similar study done on
vaccinations effect on a fetus and found no link to the thimerosal containing vaccines and Autism
(Prenatal and Infant, 2015). Despite the findings of these studies and the consensus that
thimerosal was in fact safe, many parents still worried and refused to vaccinate their children.
One of the biggest reasons for parents worry about thimerosal is the fact that it contains
mercury. Mercury being toxic was fairly common knowledge and so it was no surprise that
people were concerned when finding that the agent was in their childrens vaccines. What these
parents didnt understand was the benefit of thimerosal in vaccines and the minimal amount of
mercury contained in it was safe. Thimerosals toxicity at high doses was clearly established by
the 1970s, but the comparatively miniscule exposures involved in vaccines were well within all
published guidelines for mercury exposure. The overwhelming consensus was that ethyl mercury
in low concentrations was safe and effective in practice. The unnecessary fear of mercury and
the unnecessary review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on thimerosal further invoked
parents to not vaccinate and in turn created the Anti-Vaccination movement (Baker, 2008).
While the thimerosal controversy and the false claims of Wakefield and his co-authors
have greatly influenced the choices of parents when it comes to vaccinating, they are not the only
factor. There is a large group of parents with Autistic children who claim the beginning
symptoms of Autism in their child coincided within several months of that child receiving the
MMR vaccine. According to the Center for Disease control, Some children with an Autism

ERADICATE THE ANTIVACCINATION MOVEMENT

Spectrum Disorder seem to develop normally until around 18 to 24 months of age and then they
stop gaining new skills, or they lose the skills they once had, (Signs and Symptoms, 2015). In
the United States there is a regulated schedule of vaccines by the CDC and American Academy
of Pediatrics that states the MMR vaccine is to be given at age 12-15 months (Advisory
Committee, 2015). Since the vaccine is routinely given 3-6 months prior to when the first
symptoms of Autism typically appear in any child, it is safe to say that the sudden appearance of
symptoms parents are seeing is simply a matter of timing. Parents with one autistic child are
more likely to not vaccinate any other children they may have. In a study published in 2015 by
Jain et al, subjects with older siblings that had Autism and were considered at higher risk for the
disorder were studied in relationship to vaccines. Like the studies preceding it, even children
with a higher risk of Autism did not show evidence of a causal link between the disorder and
vaccines (Jain et al, 2015).
With all of these reasons, parents believe they have reason not to vaccinate and it is tough
for some to remember why they should. Diseases like Small Pox and Whopping cough have
been around since the 1500s, causing roaring epidemics thorough nations. In 1800, Benjamin
Waterhouse, a physician and professor at Harvard Medical brought vaccinations to the United
States with great success. By 1806 the President of the United States was for vaccination and by
1813 a federal agency for vaccinations was created. People were glad to see painful, deadly
diseases fade away until eventually they were contained (College of Physicians, 2015). Today,
with the help of vaccinations the occurrence of these illnesses are far and few between. People
begin to think that these vaccines are unnecessary because the diseases they prevent are no
longer around, with the exception of Small Pox, this is not true. Except for Small Pox, the
diseases that vaccines can prevent are still here. For example, tetanus which does not spread

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from person to personis still in the soil. Cases of mumps and rubella continue to occur
(Myers & Pineda, 2008). Vaccines are as many people would say a victim of their own success.
Many parents continue to fear that childhood vaccines can cause a host of adverse effects
ranging from immune dysfunction to Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism. Several trends no
doubt contribute to this anxiety, fading memory of vaccine-preventable diseases, adverse media
coverage, misinformation on the internet and litigation (Baker, 2008).
It is because a childs immune system is much more vulnerable without immunizations
that with the contraction of one of these diseases death can occur. While it is obviously the worst
case scenario, death is not the only complication that not vaccinating can cause. Due to the high
sensitivity of non-vaccinated children when doing anything like entering a new school, using 911
emergency services or simply going to the doctor the parent must report the childs vaccination
status. Again, because of the weak immune system, children who are not vaccinated require
distinctive medical care that is often different from the norm. Since non-vaccinated children are
the exception, medical staff may be less experienced and less trained in providing their medical
care. By parents not vaccinating their young daughters now, they are putting their future
grandchildren at risk by leaving their daughter vulnerable to diseases while pregnant that can
affect the baby. Along with putting their children at danger, parents who choose not to vaccinate
put other children, who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons such as an insufficient immune
system at risk as well. If a child suffers from something like childhood leukemia and cannot be
vaccinated, they entrust their health to the fact that others will be vaccinated. In the event that a
non-vaccinated child contracts a vaccine preventable disease they will be quarantined and face
possible death (New York, 2015).

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Of all of the negative things associated with not vaccinating, parents still cling to the false
possibility that they can cause Autism, and that speaks volumes about our society. Even though it
is false, lets play into the idea that vaccines cause Autism for a moment. Autism is a mental
condition that causes social and behavioral issues in people, often from childhood. While it is
easy to say that raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder would be incredibly difficult, in
comparison to diseases like polio that often leaves its victims paralyzed for life, or other vaccine
preventable deadly diseases, it seems pale in comparison (Signs and Symptoms, 2015). Vaccine
side effects may include redness, pain, irribility, drowsiness these reactions seemed too much
to the eyes of young parents who had never seen a child choking with pertussis or coughing until
his or her ribs were broken (Myers & Pineda, 2008).
It is easy in a world where media is what we learn from most to believe whatever we are
told. In the case of vaccines, negative and false information related to the MMR vaccine in a
report by Andrew Wakefield, along with the false scare of mercury and thimerosal in vaccines,
caused the world to believe that vaccines could cause Autism. Since then, both myths about
vaccinations have been clarified and science says that there is no causal link between vaccines
and Autism. The spread of this misinformation led parents to believe they should not vaccinate
their children leading to outbreaks in preventable disease along with parents putting their own
children at risk. Caught in the middle are children, left vulnerable, theyre suffering the diseases
of their grandparents. Recent outbreaks of measles, mumps, whooping cough and bacterial
meningitis have caused hundreds to suffer and some to die-die because their parents feared
vaccines more than the diseases they prevent (Offit, 2011). There is no longer any reason for
parents not to vaccinate their children. No longer should people believe that autism can be
caused by a vaccine, and most importantly no longer should children be caught in the crossfire of

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misinformation and deadly disease. Parents should not allow the health of their children to be
sacrificed, or cause them to be ostracized because of false information. Schools in Indiana now
require vaccination for a child to go to school, unless they have a religious exemption. I believe
schools should require all parents to attend a lesson on vaccinations, their history and how they
got their bad reputation, along with the health benefits that they provide. It is important to spread
the information that vaccines do not cause Autism, but they do prevent deadly disease. We live in
a time where medicine is thriving and eradicating diseases that once wiped out nations, and it is
time now to accept vaccines and ensure that parents gain the knowledge necessary to make
informed decisions and vaccinate their children.

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References
Advisory committee on immunization practices recommended immunization schedules for
persons aged 0 through 18 years-united states, 2015. (2015). American Journal of
Transplantation, 15(4), 1116-1117. doi:10.1111/ajt.13293
Baker, J. P. (2008). Mercury, Vaccines, and Autism. Am J Public Health American Journal of
Public Health, 98(2), 244-253. doi:10.2105/ajph.2007.113159
Prenatal and infant exposure to thimerosal from vaccines and immunoglobins and risk of autism"
(2015, August 28). CDC. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/study-risk-autism.html
College of Physicians of Philadelphia. (2015). All timelines overview. Retrieved October 5,
2015,from http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/all
Jain, A, Marshall, J., Buikema, A., Bancroft, T., Kelly, J. P., & Newschaffer, C. J.. (2015). Autism
occurrence by MMR vaccine status among US children. Journal of the American
Medical Association, 313. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.3077
Myers, M. G., & Pineda, D. (2008). Do vaccines cause that?!: A guide for evaluating vaccine
safety concerns. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from https://books.google.com/
New York State Department of Health. (2015, June). The harm of skipping vaccinations or
delaying. Retrieved October 8, 2015, from
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/harm.htm
Rao, T. S., & Andrade, C. (2011). The MMR vaccine and autism: Sensation, refutation,
retraction, and fraud. Retrieved October 8, 2015, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/

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Offit, P. A. (2011). Deadly choices: How the anti-vaccine movement threatens us all (pp. 1-6).
New York, NY: Basic Books.
Signs and Symptoms. (2015, February 26). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html
Willingham, E., & Helft, L. (2014, September 05). The autism-vaccine myth. Retrieved October
8, 2015, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/autism-vaccine-myth.html