Autism is a spectrum disorder. This means that symptoms manifest differently in each person, which limits our understanding of the disease. The wide range of behaviors, abilities, and challenges associated with autism often creates confusion and makes it difficult to recognize that autism uniquely affects individuals. There is a large amount of misinformation and myths circulating about autism due to several factors, including lack of awareness, outdated beliefs, and the complexity of autism.
Historically, autism was poorly understood, leading to widespread incorrect assumptions about its causes and treatments. For example, early theories falsely blamed poor parenting or psychological trauma for autism, contributing to prejudice and misplaced blame. Despite advances in research, these outdated ideas may still persist.
One of the common myths about autism has deterred many parents from vaccinating their babies. This myth forces parents to believe that autism is caused by vaccinations.
This myth originates from a group of researchers
In 1998, a group of British researchers announced that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. Britain’s General Medical Council scrapped the paper, but by then it had already caused concern and debate around the world. Eventually, the journal that published the study retracted it, but several subsequent studies found no scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism.
The researcher in question was Dr. Andrew Wakefield. The research paper explains: Initially, Dr. Wakefield reported that the measles virus was the cause of the colon lesions seen in Crohn’s disease. Although this theory was quickly disproved and abandoned, Wakefield was struck by a case in which apparently normally developing children showed symptoms of autism shortly after receiving the MMR triple vaccine. I received it. Despite a previous debacle with Crohn’s disease, he learned that the measles virus causes inflammatory lesions in the colon, and that neurotoxic proteins interfere with the permeability of the colon, allowing them to reach the bloodstream and brain, resulting in autoimmunization. They hypothesized that this may have caused closure syndrome.
Why are immunizations important for children and why should parents not ignore them?
Vaccinations are very important for children because they protect them from other serious diseases such as measles, polio, and whooping cough. It can enhance your child’s immunity and prevent infectious diseases. Therefore, vaccination not only protects the health of children, but also protects society as a whole. It limits the exposure of vulnerable people and those without adequate defense mechanisms, such as infants and the elderly, from contracting such diseases. In addition to delays in vaccination, this increases the likelihood of outbreaks among children and exposes them to preventable diseases. Vaccination is safe and effective in providing the body with long-term health and preventing undue suffering.
