Lew,+Robyn

The nurse swabs the skin, you scrunch your eyes, the needle slides in and you feel a sharp sting. Before you know it, you’re strolling out with a nice red lollipop between your teeth and a band-aid as a reminder of which arm took the shot. The memory of the vaccination is like any other you’ve had – unpleasant yet quick and easy - and you continue on with your regular routine. Most people dread that trip to the doctor’s office or the long wait in line at school to have the shiny sharp-tipped syringe stabbed into their arm. The option to back out can be available for some vaccines, though in most cases, vaccinations are mandatory and essential for protection against deadly diseases. Nausea, dizziness and fainting can sometimes follow the injection. However, patients have the option to decide when they want to receive a vaccination and have the opportunity to take advantage of unlimited resources of valuable information through the Internet, books and pamphlets. When a baby receives its first few vaccinations within months of its birth, it does not have the option to back out or request for the injections to be spread apart. Doctors are eager to immunize children as early as possible to eliminate the risk of infection, with the lower survival rate in young children for diseases. However, recent studies are showing that the large quantities of chemicals that are being injected into these tiny bodies can be dangerous to the health of young infants. Parents face constant pressure to immunize their children from doctors, health care providers and society as a whole. Without proper knowledge of the dosage of chemicals that children receive with every vaccination, the future of the youth is at further risk for developmental disorders, and more specifically, Autism.

** What is Autism? ** Autism is a developmental disorder that affects the function of the brain. It normally appears within the first three years of life and affects communication and social development. Classified as a “spectrum disorder”, autism can range in severity. Lack of social interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication as well as the incapability to part-take in imaginative and spontaneous activities are all characteristics of the disorder. Many parents and educators are not informed properly of the signs or the seriousness of the disorder. As a result, denial is often the case for parents who believe that children can simply grow out of it and often think it is only a temporary state of mind. Connecting with children with autism is challenging and often unsuccessful. They tend to make little or no eye contact, lack interest in building relationships, lack the usage of spoken language and often display repetitive motions such as flapping of the hands. Although children cannot outgrow the disorder, autism is treatable if recognized within the early stages of the child’s development (Autism Society of America).

Babies are given a vaccine for Hepatitis B before they even leave the hospital for the first time. The number of vaccinations that infants receive during their first two years is enormous and continues to rise. Between the ages of 2 to 18 months of age, infants receive vaccinations for the following: Diphtheria, tetanus, accelular pertussis, inactivated polio, Haemophilus influenzae, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, pneumococcal, meningococcal C, and influenza (Public Health Agency of Canada). Many of these vaccinations are given two or three times during the first 18 months of an infant’s life. Some immunization injections combine more than one vaccine such as the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination. This is called the MMR vaccine, which is given twice to the infant. The MMR vaccine has been the centre of controversy for the connection between vaccinations and autism. The combination of three vaccines in one injection results in the need for higher amounts of preservatives. The active ingredient in many vaccine preservatives for the past few decades has been a chemical called __thimerosal__.
 * Vaccinations**

Thimerosal is an ethyl mercury compound that is used in vaccines. Ethyl mercury has been used in many over-the-counter topical ointments and creams as an anti-bacteriological agent, or as a preservative in vaccines. 50% of thimerosal is mercury by weight (FDA Food and Drug Administration). Although the body can eliminate small dosages of mercury through waste, it is not possible for humans to completely process the mercury through the metabolic system fast enough if the dosage of mercury is too high. The increase in vaccinations that infants receive also increases the amount of thimerosal that is used in the vaccines and therefore, the amount of mercury to which infants are exposed.
 * What is Thimerosal?**

** Link between Thimerosal and Autism ** Between studies performed from 1992-1993 compared with statistics collected from 2001-2002, there was an average increase of autism in U.S. children by 644% within the nine-year period (National Autism Association). The addition of the Hepatitis B and Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccinations to the immunization schedule for infants nearly tripled the cumulative amount of ethyl mercury that patients were exposed to (National Autism Association). The addition of several vaccines to the immunization schedule, as well as the combination of a number of vaccines into one injection may be linked to the increase in autism that North America is facing. The closeness in time between each visit to the doctor for infants to receive the injections may also have an impact on the amount of time that the patients have to process the mercury that is in the vaccines. The overlapping of residual thimerosal could be causing an overdose in mercury that exceeds the safety levels of 25 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 mL dose of thimerosal (FDA Food and Drug Administration).

**Conclusion** The rate of autistic children increases every year and shows no sign of slowing down. People are introduced to protection against all kinds of diseases that were considered normal and that did not require a vaccine in previous decades. The chicken pox, a new addition to the long list of vaccinations on the immunization schedule was a condition that students in this class have probably all experienced at least once in their lifetime. The question of whether humans are meant to be injected with vaccines for so many different diseases is becoming a prominent issue. When does the human body need a vaccine and when should it be left to build its immunity on its own as it was meant to do so? Far too many people seek an easy solution to the ailments that humans are meant to fight off and turn to copious amounts of vaccinations. As a result, an epidemic of autism has risen as a response to the overdose of chemicals and sometimes unecessary preventative measures against disease. In many present cases, pharmaceutical companies are introducing vaccines that have not been properly tested and as a result, the general public is becoming the lab rats for so many new products that doctors and health care providers insist on being necessary. A new generation of autistic children is causing major issues in the educational system and how this disorder should be dealt with properly. Society needs to start reconsidering what the responsibilities of each member is as a contributor to a potentially active group that can fight against the major corporations and the services that are providing vaccines as well as the schedules that are being enforced. The rate at which developmental disorders is growing is unacceptable and can be reversed if society begins to educate itself on the products and vaccinations that seem to slip so silently into the standard health care system.

__ Autism Society of America __. 4 Feb. 2009 .
 * Bibliography**

"Immunization Schedules." __Public Health Agency of Canada__. 5 Feb. 2009 .

"Should I Vaccinate My Baby?" __CNN Health__. 5 Feb. 2009 .

"Thimerosal." __National Autism Association__. 5 Feb. 2009 .

"Thimerosal in Vaccines." __FDA U.S. Food and Drug Association__. 4 Feb. 2009 .

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/12/autism.vaccines/?iref=mpstoryview
 * Feb 12/09**
 * A recent court case featured on CNN:** Court Rules out Measles, Mumps & Rubella vaccine, but what about the others...

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.. and a nice uplifting video related to autism :)

JMac sinks 3

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