MMR Vaccine and Autism
Ashley Foley
CTA 4B
MMR Vaccine and Autism There is a lot of controversy surrounding the MMR vaccine and whether or not it causes Autism. One of the main advocates for causation is Andrew Wakefield. He performed a study in 1998 that consisted of 12 children. Such a small sample group alone is enough for this mother to doubt the validity of his study. I may not be a scientist, but I do know that the larger the sample group is, the more valid the results are going to be. According to http://www.thpc.scot.nhs.uk/Health_Protection/MMR/AW%20claims.htm, Wakefield’s theory was this:
MMR immunisation leads to measles virus becoming colonised in the lining of the bowel; this process causes inflammatory bowel disease and a leaky bowel; this allows harmful peptides or toxins, which wouldn’t normally be absorbed to enter the bloodstream, enter the brain and cause autism.
And according to his own summary on http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)11096-0/abstract; these were his findings: “Onset of behavioural symptoms was associated, by the parents, with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in eight of the 12 children, with measles infection in one child, and otitis media in another. All 12 children had intestinal abnormalities, ranging from lymphoid nodular hyperplasia to aphthoid ulceration. Histology showed patchy chronic inflammation in the colon in 11 children and reactive ileal lymphoid hyperplasia in seven, but no granulomas. Behavioural disorders included autism (nine), disintegrative psychosis (one), and possible postviral or vaccinal encephalitis (two). There were no focal neurological abnormalities and MRI and EEG tests were normal. Abnormal laboratory results were significantly raised urinary methylmalonic acid compared with agematched controls (p=0·003), low haemoglobin in four children, and a low serum IgA in four children.”
However, this study has since been retracted and Mr.
CTA 4B
MMR Vaccine and Autism There is a lot of controversy surrounding the MMR vaccine and whether or not it causes Autism. One of the main advocates for causation is Andrew Wakefield. He performed a study in 1998 that consisted of 12 children. Such a small sample group alone is enough for this mother to doubt the validity of his study. I may not be a scientist, but I do know that the larger the sample group is, the more valid the results are going to be. According to http://www.thpc.scot.nhs.uk/Health_Protection/MMR/AW%20claims.htm, Wakefield’s theory was this:
MMR immunisation leads to measles virus becoming colonised in the lining of the bowel; this process causes inflammatory bowel disease and a leaky bowel; this allows harmful peptides or toxins, which wouldn’t normally be absorbed to enter the bloodstream, enter the brain and cause autism.
And according to his own summary on http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)11096-0/abstract; these were his findings: “Onset of behavioural symptoms was associated, by the parents, with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in eight of the 12 children, with measles infection in one child, and otitis media in another. All 12 children had intestinal abnormalities, ranging from lymphoid nodular hyperplasia to aphthoid ulceration. Histology showed patchy chronic inflammation in the colon in 11 children and reactive ileal lymphoid hyperplasia in seven, but no granulomas. Behavioural disorders included autism (nine), disintegrative psychosis (one), and possible postviral or vaccinal encephalitis (two). There were no focal neurological abnormalities and MRI and EEG tests were normal. Abnormal laboratory results were significantly raised urinary methylmalonic acid compared with agematched controls (p=0·003), low haemoglobin in four children, and a low serum IgA in four children.”
However, this study has since been retracted and Mr.