“Vaccines prevent more than 2.5 million deaths each year.” (“11 Facts about Vaccines”) Immunizations have helped save countless lives since they were introduced as a method of stopping diseases. As of late they have been getting a bad reputation due to some rumors and theories that suggest they cause autism. Many studies and credible sources show overwhelming evidence of the contrary; there is, in fact, no link between immunizations and autism. Saying there is a link between the two is like saying there is a link between ice cream and drownings, because while the two may happen at the same time, there is no connection between the two. This is proven by 4 things: the true causes of autism, which ingredients and vaccines have been proven to not cause autism, what happens when people don’t vaccinate, and understanding what exemptions are and where they are allowed. All of this proves that there is no connection between immunizations and autism disorder.

To truly understand the connection, or lack thereof, between vaccines and autism, one must first understand what exactly causes autism. One article at AutismSpeaks explains that Autism is caused by “a combination of genetic… or environmental influences.” (“What Causes Autism”) This shows that there is no one cause of autism. The same article also states that autism rates can be increased greatly by “advanced parental age… pregnancy and birth complication… pregnancies spaced less than one year.” (“What Causes Autism”) This shows that while there are many factors that cause autism, most are prior to or during birth, and not caused by vaccines. According to another article from AutismSpeaks,

some dozen studies have now shown that the age of onset of ASD does not differ between vaccinated and unvaccinated children, the severity or course of ASD does not differ between vaccinated and unvaccinated children, and now the risk of ASD recurrence in families does not differ between vaccinated and unvaccinated children

(“No MMR-Autism Link in Large Study of Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Kids”) This goes to show that the only real relation between vaccines and autism is that they occur at the same time. Despite all the evidence that other things cause autism, many accusers have been quick to point fingers at certain immunizations and ingredients in them to look for a link to autism.

In the past years many scientist have conducted vast research on the connection between vaccines and autism; furthermore, they have debunked every theory about which vaccines and which ingredients cause autism. According to an article from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) “thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used to prevent contamination of multidose vials of vaccines. Research shows that thimerosal does not cause ASD” (“Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism”) Thimerosal was one of the most recent ingredients that some believed to cause autism. This is important because it shows that evan a credible and worldwide organization states that there’s no connection with thimerosal. Another theory that has been proven wrong is that the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccines cause autism. “In the largest-ever study of its kind, researchers again found that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine did not increase risk for autism spectrum disorder.” (“No MMR-Autism Link in Large Study of Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Kids”) This shows that even in a study of over 95,727 children, the MMR vaccine does not have an effect on the onset of this disorder. It’s important to know how these theory gained any traction in the first place; WebMD states that “For example, investigators learned that a lawyer looking for a link between the vaccine and autism had paid the lead researcher more than half a million dollars”. This shows that the original study that had everyone worried was in fact corrupted. Knowing now that all of these theories have been proven wrong by extensive research, one might wonder what happened to those who bought into the rumors.

Over the past years many people in the United States and other countries have opted out of vaccines for various reasons; however, in some cases this decision backfired drastically. According to statistic brain research conducted by the CDC, the number of deaths in 2008 that vaccines could’ve prevented was 1.5 million people. This shows that vaccines can save many more lives if people would become more educated on this issue. In fact, the same research states that only “90% of children get vaccinated” The people that don’t get vaccinated, or refuse to let their kids have immunizations, are mostly because of fear of autism; a fear that was caused by illegitimate studies. Daniel Salmon writes in the New England Journal of Medicine “children with exemptions as compared with unvaccinated children, were 22 times more likely [To contract the disease]” This shows that vaccines do a great job preventing disease, and if people knew the truth about the lack of connection, they could protect the general population and get vaccinated.

One final important facet of this issue that is important to understand is what exemptions are, and how they relate to this issue. Exemptions are essentially when a person refuses immunizations for themselves, or a child. While many argue that getting vaccinated is important for public health, “47 States have exemptions for persons with strong religious beliefs against vaccination.” This shows that almost all states allow some amount of choice in the issue, even if it is a small amount. Walter Orenstein and Alan Hinman, both doctorates state that, “15 states have exemptions for persons philosophically opposed.” This gives people basically complete freedom to choose whether or not they vaccinate in almost one third of the country. Even if they are uninformed, they could still make this life-changing, or life-ending choice. The New England Journal also proclaims that “the most frequent reason for non vaccination was concern that the vaccine might cause harm.” (Salmon, Daniel et. all) This shows that people are worried about a thing that could just be solved by education.

For many reasons including those stated above, it has been shown expressly that vaccines do not cause autism. This is shown by knowing the true causes of autism, knowing which ingredients and vaccines have been proven to not cause autism, knowing what happens when people don’t vaccinate, and understanding what exemptions are and where they are allowed. If you do your part and get yourself and children vaccinated, you could be one of those 2.5 million lives saved by immunizations.

Works Cited

“What Causes Autism?” Autism Speaks, 24 July 2012, www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/learn-more-autism/what-causes-autism.

“Vaccine Safety.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 Nov. 2015, www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html.

“Vaccines & Autism.” Science-Based Medicine, 17 Oct. 2016, sciencebasedmedicine.org/reference/vaccines-and-autism/.

“Do Vaccines Cause Autism?” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/brain/autism/do-vaccines-cause-autism#1.

“Child Vaccination Statistics.” Statistic Brain, 8 Sept. 2016, www.statisticbrain.com/childhood-vaccination-statistics/.

Salmon, Daniel. “Vaccine Refusal, Mandatory Immunization, and the Risks of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases — NEJM.” New England Journal of Medicine, Massachusetts Medical Society, www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa0806477#t=article.

Orenstein, Walter. “The Immunization System in the United States – The Role of School Immunization Laws.” Vaccine, Elsevier, 8 Nov. 1999, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X9900290X.

“11 Facts About Vaccines.” DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change, www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-vaccines.