Misconceptions about dangers of vaccination are cause for concern
EDITOR:
I was very saddened to read the June 24 letter from a woman regarding her daughter's diagnosis of autism and her belief of its cause.
It is very unfortunate that this child and many other children will have to overcome the hurdles of autism or pervasive developmental disorder. Although treatment modalities have improved and provide some hope for these families, it is still a disease I wish did not exist.
What is concerning me even more, however, is the current belief from parents and some professionals as to its cause. The writer was very accurate in stating that the rates of autism and PDD are on the rise in the last five to 10 years. There have also been quite a few research studies published recently with suggestions as to the reason for this trend, one of which is the relevance of thimerosal, or a mercury derivative used in our many childhood vaccines.
As the writer stated, thimerosal has been used for decades in vaccines as a preservative. Starting in 2000 after some of the first studies were published concerning its safety, it was mandated by the FDA that thimerosal be removed from our vaccines until further studies could be done.
Today, there are only a few adult vaccines left that contain this preservative. We also have about 40 well-done research studies that have proved its safety for our children in the quantities that were contained in the previous vaccines as opposed to the 10 or so initial studies that had questioned it.
As a pediatrician who is responsible daily for the safety of my little patients, and as a mother whose utmost concern is my own son, I have researched this topic exhaustively to make sure that I have a comprehensive knowledge of the issues and a belief that these vaccines are safe.
Just a few points to share and a note that the current (June) issue of Pediatrics contains an article on thimerosal (which can be found at www.pediatrics.org. Click on current issue and electronic contents to locate the thimerosal article).
1. We have been giving vaccines containing even higher levels of thimerosal to our children for 20-30 years. Why is it that just recently we are diagnosing more 2-10 year olds with autism, but not adults who had the same vaccines years ago?
2. If the thimerosal has been removed from the vaccines since about 2001, why is our autism rate still increasing, (especially in the western states like California where the vaccination rate is dipping to dangerous lows)?
3. The research showing that mercury in certain amounts has the potential to be a neurotoxin to young developing brains was done on the compound Œmethylmercury, not Œethylmercury -- a larger molecule that has much less access to the brain.
4. In case reports of children with known mercury intoxication, the results were not autism but other neurological disorders with mainly motor skill symptoms.
5. Mercury is found in high levels in some fish that we consume, more so in some cultures or parts of the county than others. So why isn't it clear that their rates of autism are higher?
6. Thimerosal vaccines were and are given to millions of children in other countries too. Why aren't Africa's rates of autism increasing like ours?
I don't look forward to the day when I will lose patients or family or friends to measles, mumps or diphtheria again as our grandparents and great-grandparents did. But if the misconception of our children's vaccines causing more harm than good continues, even if just innocently by our concerned parents, we will see that day again. The chance of dying from measles is 1/3,000 -- the chance of having a serious adverse effect from a vaccine is 1/300,000. Which chance are you going to take?
DIANNA TOLEN, M.D.
Canfield