After some articles that appeared in this newspaper, which questioned the very medical efficacy of vaccinations besides taking away the right to decide by making them mandatory, imputing potential side effects and maintaining that vaccinations are not needed since human bodies form their own immunity; the state government has come out advocating for the necessity and efficacy of vaccinations. (See page 6)
Nagaland Post contacted two well known paediatricians of two well known private hospitals to obtain their professional views. In separate talks, the paediatricians told this newspaper that they have not come across any children who became autistic after taking vaccinations especially MMR.
One of the chief arguments against mandatory vaccinations has been the claim that they cause autism among children. This controversy began in 1998 when British researchers published a paper claiming that measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine caused autism (a disorder characterised by troubles with social interaction and communication, repetitive behaviour, speech and non verbal communication).
Though the study involved cases of 12 children in all, yet it received a lot of publicity. The uproar against ‘mandatory vaccinations’ rose to a crescendo as more children were diagnosed with the condition. More doctors then took up independent research on the link between MMR vaccine and autism.
However, none of these studies found any evidence that MMR vaccine caused autism. Moreover, an investigation into the 1998 study uncovered a number of problems with how it was conducted. According to media reports, the journal that published the 1998 report eventually retracted it. That meant the publication no longer stood by the results. In 1999, after the British study, fears about a possible vaccine-autism link shifted from MMR to a substance used in some children’s vaccines. It was called ‘thimerosal’, and it contained mercury. That’s a metal that’s harmful to the brain and kidneys at high levels. Doctors used thimerosal to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in vaccines.
Reports suggested lack of evidence that the small amount used in the medicines caused harm. Still, it was taken out of most children’s vaccines by 2001 at the urging of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Public Health Service.
To see if ‘thimerosal’ was linked to autism, researchers studied children who received vaccines that contained it. They compared them to kids who received vaccines that didn’t. The CDC conducted or paid for nine different studies looking at ‘thimerosal’ and autism. It found no link. What’s more, autism diagnoses continued to rise after vaccine makers took ‘thimerosal’ out of almost all childhood vaccines.
Researchers have also looked to see if all the vaccines required before age 2 somehow together triggered autism. Children receive 25 shots in the first 15 months of life. Some people feared that getting all those shots so early in life could lead to the development of autism.
In 2004, the Immunization Safety Review Committee of the Institute of Medicine published a report on the topic. The group looked at all the studies on vaccines and autism, both published and unpublished. It released a 200-page report stating there was no evidence to support a link between vaccines and autism.
The debate over safety of MMR vaccines including other new additions, will have to be addressed by the Nagaland Medical Council as well as both government and private medical practitioners in order to set the matter to rest.