Autism did not receive an official, distinguishable definition until the mid-2000s, preceded by ideals of Asperberger Syndrome (National Autistic Society). With the combination MMR vaccine becoming available in 1971, closely followed by the main Wakefield paper being published in 1998, a monumentally drastic reduction of parent's opting to vaccinate their children resulted. Initial approval of the MMR vaccine gave way to vaccination requirements, educational propagation, and eager compliance that was undone by Wakefield and his supporters.
While vaccines possess risks (as is applicable to any medication), their dangers are extensively and carefully examined before being accepted and promoted for human use. Vaccines were generally accepted as the future of eradicating contagious diseases until skepticism degraded this hope, festering fear instead. This fear has not only affected the MMR subset of vaccines, but grown to encompass the concept of vaccines in general; as conspiracy continues to be fed, declining vaccination rates lead to decreased immunity and a higher susceptibility of becoming infected - regardless of immunization status (Conis, 2019). This inaccurate vaccine trepidation must be resolved for the future of treatable diseases within humanity.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (2014, November 5). Vaccines and Autism. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccines-and-other- conditions/vaccines-autism
Conis, E. (2019). Measles and the Modern History of Vaccination. Public Health Reports, 134(2), 118–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354919826558
National Autistic Society. (n.d.-b). The history of autism. National Autistic Society. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism/the-history-of-autism
This post was very interesting, and I feel as it is very relevant to the current society we live in, and peoples opinions on vaccines for things such as COVID-19. I was interested to see what the literature had to say about misinformation-fueled hysteria in relation to other vaccines. What I found was that there has been a significant decline in the number of vaccination in developed countries, and because of that, the spread of preventable diseases such as measles have become more prevalent and lead to deaths in many cases (Pandolfi et al. 2018).
ReplyDeletePandolfi F, Franza L, Todi L, Carusi V, Centrone M, Buonomo A, Chini R, Newton EE, Schiavino D, Nucera E. The Importance of Complying with Vaccination Protocols in Developed Countries: "Anti-Vax" Hysteria and the Spread of Severe Preventable Diseases. Curr Med Chem. 2018;25(42):6070-6081. doi: 10.2174/0929867325666180518072730. PMID: 29773050.