To all those who have mentioned that they have been cautious in their choices to vaccinate, I applaud you. Autism is now affecting 1 in 42 boys (this recent stat is actually 4 years old so it's likely higher). So here we have something that is like something like 27 times more common than polio but the scientists cant figure it out? Give me a break.
The largest, most recent twin study (Hallmeyer et al.) shows that autism isn't "genetic." There obviously are a few syndromes where it is but this only accounts for a small percentage of cases.
Many people don't realize that the "scientific studies" are basically only epidemiological ones and many of them are very poor. What is missing are some real safety studies that are physiological in nature. See 9Questions that Stump Pro-Vaccibe Advocates and their Claims)
Shaw has one on aluminum adjuvant (present in Gardasil and hep b vaccine)
Aluminum Vaccine Adjuvants. Are they Safe?
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Burbacher has looked at methylmercury (thimerosal) in infant monkeys and Vaerstraten has analyzed statistics on effects of mercury and actually found mercury to be associated with language delays and tics. The statistics were massaged to show otherwise.
http://www.safeminds.org/research/li...PowerPoint.pdf
Someone recently has found a link to pertussis toxin:
Is Autism a G- alpha protein defect Reversible with Natural Vitamin A?
A study of 60 autistic children suggests that autism may be caused by a G- alpha protein defect, the pertussis toxin found in the DPT vaccine in genetically at risk children.
www.megson.com/readings/MedicalHypothesis.pdf
To those who cite polio eradication as a great victory, there is a very good article on the great rise in NPAFP in India due to Gates use of oral polio vaccine. Children with this had double the risk of death over wild polio virus. See:
nsnbc.me/2013/05/08/bill-gates-polio-vaccine-program-caused-47,500-cases-of-paralysis-death/
The whole subject of vaccination of children has become more nuanced than many people understand. Parents face so many more vaccines than we did, say 20 or 30 years ago. Parents are being ever more forced into choosing 'all or nothing' options. Say a parent does want to get measles or mumps or rubella but isn't comfortable with the lack of safety studies on it, or say they have auto-immune conditions that make them hesitant? Well they no longer have the choice to get these disease coverages done separately- they must have the MMR.
Not only that, now they are actually phasing out this in favor of MMR-V (so they've added a 4th live virus) which has double the instance of febrile seizures (1in 2800 is one estimate).
They have also bundled up dpt as Pediarix (dpt, hib and hep b all in 1) in many places, again removing choice. Many parents may have been interested in dpt but not hep b, especially for such young children where there is little risk for it.
The narcolepsy problem with H1N1 (Pandemrix) is also concerning.
Finally, to people using Ben Goldacre as any kind of reference, well that's a bit of a joke.
Sourcewatch notes that Sense about Science is nothing more than an industry front group.
Goldacre's daddy was involved with the Urabe strain measles scandal in Britain and both are very cosy with GSK.
Bottom line. It's kind of insulting and condescending to dismiss parents' concerns. Especially when choices in terms of vaccines is being taken away all the time. People have a right to wonder what is causing autism. It certainly isn't genetics driving the rates up.