Just When We Thought the Vaccine-Autism Myth was Dead...
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In this post, we dive into the origins of the vaccine-autism myth, a new office focusing on vaccine injuries, and how these changes affect public health and confidence in vaccination. We also honor people with autism and their families. April is Autism Awareness Month.
What we know about autism
Autism refers to a broad range of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. Research shows that autism tends to run in families. The largest population-based study of autism risk in siblings, published in 2019, analyzed children born between 1998 and 2007 across California, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Sweden and Western Australia. It found that children with an older sibling diagnosed with autism had an eightfold higher risk of being diagnosed with autism compared to the general population. In addition to genetics, environmental factors have also been implicated in the development of autism.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30851399/
The origins of the vaccine-autism myth
The myth that vaccines are linked to autism has been studied scientifically and discredited many times. The myth originally came from an article published in 1998 by the now-disgraced British scientist, Andrew Wakefield, who claimed a connection between the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. This study was quickly met with skepticism and prompted numerous independent investigations. Each one reached the same conclusion: there is no association between the MMR vaccine and the development of autism.
By the early 2000s, it became evident that Wakefield’s study not only contained inaccuracies but were also based on deliberately falsified data, allegedly for financial gain. These findings resulted in the revocation of Andrew Wakefield’s medical license as well as the retraction of the article. Since then, numerous studies have reaffirmed the lack of connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, including a large-scale 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, involving over 95,000 children.
Renewed concerns about discredited research
When the new administration announced that the “Make America Healthy Again Commission” would focus on autism, there was guarded optimism that this could be positive for people and families living with autism. Alison Singer, the president of the Autism Science Foundation, was cautious that this could be positive for people and families living with autism.
“We need more studies looking at the underlying biological causes of autism so that we can develop treatments that are based on biology and relieve the suffering that our children are experiencing,” Singer said. “But the key is we can’t let the discredited vaccine hypothesis become a distraction. That question has been answered.”
Despite these concerns, the Department of Health and Human Services has hired David Geier to conduct a new study exploring a possible link between vaccines and autism. Geier, along with his father, Mark Geier – a physician who has had his medical license suspended in multiple states for unethical conduct, including treatments that put children with autism at risk – has previously published flawed studies alleging a connection between vaccines and autism. These studies have been widely discredited for their poor methodology and reliance on inaccurate data.
At best, initiatives that revisit the vaccine-autism myth squanders time and resources that might be better spent on innovative studies investigating the true causes of autism. At worst, they risk reigniting fear and miscommunication, causing parents to delay or refuse vaccinations for their children, resulting in a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
It is human nature to be more inclined to believe negative information and associations than positive. For instance, if someone hears something concerning about vaccines, they’re more inclined to believe something negative than positive. Once that belief takes hold, it can become very difficult to change, even when the person is later presented with accurate and reassuring information. This is why starting any kind of research into a link between vaccines and autism can be so damaging. Just raising the question can reinforce harmful myths and narratives that make it harder to rebuild trust in vaccines.
Sources:
Mengcen Qian, Shin-Yi Chou, Ernest K. Lai, Confirmatory bias in health decisions: Evidence from the MMR-autism controversy, Journal of Health Economics, Volume 70, 2020, 102284, ISSN 0167-6296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2019.102284
The Washington Post first reported that a new Department of Health and Human Services employee named David Geier would spearhead a controversial new look at whether vaccines cause autism.
https://autismsciencefoundation.org/autism-and-vaccines-read-the-science/
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