Vaccines Not the Cause of Autism, Rules the Court

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

13 Feb 2009 06:18 AM

There is a lot of debate out there whether or not to vaccinate children. Some folks are big believers in vaccines (such as myself), while others fear them and a possible link to autism. Whichever side of the issue you are on, you'll want to make note of this news.

A special court ruled yesterday that there is no reason to blame shots on children's autism, siting years of scientific evidence that showed no increase risk of autism from receiving vaccination.

The special court, made up of special masters that serve on the U.S. Court of Claims, received evidence from parents and health authorities starting in June 2007. A large number of families filed claims to the court (more than 5,500 according to the Associated Press) seeking compensation from the government for injury to their children from the vaccines.

Some organizations are happy with this news, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, which applauds the ruling. Others take a different view, such as the National Vaccine Information Center, a consumer advocacy group that believes there is a link to the vaccines.

For the case, the families had to prove that it was probably that measles-mumps-rubella shots and other shots that were given to the children were likely to have been directly related to autism symptoms. At the time, these vaccines carried a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal. Current vaccinations are not supposed to contain this ingredient.

Autism is a growing affliction that is affecting more and more children these days. Unfortunately, no clear cause or risk factors have been established. One thing that research has proven, though, is that early intervention yields better results for affected children.

Where do you stand on the issue of a link between vaccinations and autism? Do you vaccinate?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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