The (Unfounded) Scare: Vaccines, specifically their thimerosal content, cause autism. There have been years of debate around the impact of childhood vaccines, especially the MMR – used to combat measles, mumps, and rubella – on autism. Ironically, the MMR vaccine never contained thimerosal. Regardless, anti-vaccine zealots managed to have their voices heard by the legal system at a “vaccine court” – which was really the U.S. Court Of Federal Claims. They aimed to prove – legally, not scientifically – that vaccines do cause autism.(39)
Origin of the Scare: In 1998 a paper by Dr. Andrew Wakefield and colleagues, published in The Lancet, claimed to have found a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.(40) Eventually, The Lancet and several of the study’s authors withdrew their support of Wakefield’s article due to its questionable assumptions and weak findings, but Wakefield, later revealed to be working for the attorneys of parents suing vaccine makers, stuck to his claims. Today parents, attorneys, and environmental activists continue to fuel the fire of the anti-scientific autism-vaccine link.
In the U.S., thimerosal-containing vaccines, rather than MMR as in Britain, have been the main targets of anti-vaccine paranoia. Thimerosal is a vaccine preservative, which is partially composed of ethyl mercury, that has been used since the 1930s to prevent bacterial contamination in vaccine vials. Because mercury is a known neurotoxin, the public became fearful of the exposure associated with vaccines. Therefore, in 1999, there was a decision to reduce or eliminate thimerosal from pediatric vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market.(41)
Media Coverage: There was wide coverage of the supposed link between vaccines and autism, despite the myth being repeatedly rejected by scientists. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and HuffingtonPost.com are a few media outlets that covered the debate. Actress Jenny McCarthy also wrote a book about her son’s battle with autism, which she discussed on several TV shows including Oprah and Larry King Live. She was quoted as saying, “What number will it take for people just to start listening to what the mothers of children who have seen autism have been saying for years, which is, we vaccinated our baby and something happened?”(42)
Usually the media stories take a credulous or debunking attitude toward the vaccine-autism link, but this year there was also a different story: “Dr. Wakefield, Whose Research Links MMR and Autism, Now Under Investigation.”(43) The charges include unnecessary procedures performed on children, coordinating with autism litigators, and taking blood from children at a birthday party. Hopefully, this raises the eyebrows of those so quick to point a finger at vaccines. Furthermore, the New York Times published an article entitled “What Autistic Girls Are Made Of” which was about sex ratios for autism.(44) Boys were shown to be much more likely to have autism, which suggests just how off-base the vaccine-autism link is – since vaccination rates are equal for the sexes.
The Bottom Line: There are no scientific data to support the theory that vaccines cause autism. Despite this, there is a large group of people who continue to waste time and energy in hopes of proving this imaginary link. The concept of the “vaccine court” is very dangerous. The three judges were not experts in medicine or science – in fact, one was described as a former “environmental lawyer.” This, of course, creates a big risk for potential bias in the case against vaccines, which are on the hit list of many environmentalists. Furthermore, the nonexistent link between autism and vaccines has been disproven by scientific research.(45) Therefore, it should not be a matter for ongoing legal debate. Vaccines are a powerful and crucial method of preventing life-threatening disease, and attacking them jeopardizes the public’s health in a profound way.
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