When it comes to the arguments about the safety of vaccines, what’s a worried mom to do? Between the scary claims about shots themselves and the scary news about what can happen without them, you might feel like you need a Ph.D. in immunology, toxicology, and biostatistics to make sense of it all. Never fear, Dr. Walt is here. The bottom line: No medical intervention is 100 percent risk-free, and no one but you can choose what’s right for your child. My job is to help that decision come a little easier, so here goes:

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Now, the argument should be over. This study effectively puts the nail in the coffin to the now disproven theory that the MMR vaccine is associated with or causes autism. Period.

My Take?

Even though there were many parents who, in the past, did not have their children vaccinated for the now disproven theory that vaccines cause autism, Reuters is reporting that U.S. toddlers got the recommended vaccinations against childhood diseases at record levels in 2007.

My Take?

The Associated Press is reporting that the NIH is being pressured by desperate parents who are pushing them to test an unproven treatment on autistic children, a move some scientists see as an unethical experiment in voodoo medicine. The treatment removes heavy metals from the body and is based on the fringe theory that mercury in vaccines triggers autism — a theory never proved and rejected by mainstream science. Mercury hasn’t been in childhood vaccines since 2001, except for certain flu shots.

My Take?

In 1999, a study revealed that the preservative thimerosal, a mercury-containing compound present in many vaccines, caused several infants to have levels of mercury in their blood that exceeded guidelines recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Preservatives are used in vaccines to reduce the risk of contamination by bacteria once the vial is opened. 

Exposure to high levels of mercury, especially in the developing child before birth, is associated with neurological disturbances. Therefore, parents began to fear that thimerosal may cause neurological difficulties, like autism.

When this study was first described, physicians, scientists, and public health officials quickly assessed the situation and found that:

A huge story is breaking today, about what the Washington Post is calling “the largest resurgence” of measles since 2001.

This story should, by itself, put this myth to rest.

And, the story is unfolding in 10 states, with at least 72 people ranging from infants to the elderly becoming ill. And all but one of them were unvaccinated.

The LA Times ran an article today about the ongoing controversy over the fear that the MMR vaccine may cause autism.

Because of this fear, there are parents who have chosen not to give their children this life-saving vaccine.

As a result, the Times reports that some in the research and medical community “are worried about” potential outbreaks that could be “fueled by clusters of people who are not vaccinated as a matter of choice, rather than access.”

Tuesday, in my weekly interview with Mark Elfstrand on WMBI in Chicago, a woman called to inquire about the risk of autism from vaccinations.

It reminded me of a chapter from my book, God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Child, in which I discuss a number of myths about vaccinations. This week, I’ll start a multipart series on a dozen or more of these common myths and misperceptions.