Autism’s Not Like the Measles
October 12, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
If you haven’t already read Measles not worth the risk, an October 6th op-ed by epidemiologist John Laurence Kiely, go here. Kiely recalls having the measles and then pneumonia, and being hospitalized, and under an oxygen tent, and his mother’s distraught face. But, as he notes:
Most Americans don’t remember those days. Why? Because four years after I got sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began a mass measles immunization program. By 2000, the number of reported cases of measles had decreased to 86 and the number of deaths to one.
So it is distressing to see that this year measles is on the upswing.
As of July, there were 131 measles cases reported to CDC, the highest number since any comparable period since 1996. Most pediatricians and public health officials believe that’s because fewer parents are bringing their young children in to get vaccinated.
And why is that? Because since 1998 the idea that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism has scared them away.
This is not just shameful. It’s scandalous. The entire phenomenon was spawned by a few studies by one research team with results that nobody else has able to replicate and publish in the peer-reviewed medical literature.
Measles is not “just a charming appearance of red spots on a two-year old’s stomach” and Kiely calls on federal public health officials to step up, speak out, make it clear that “The MMR vaccine doesn’t hurt kids. Letting them go without it will.”
Organizations and advocates who support the notion that vaccines or something in vaccines causes autism often suggest that nothing could be worse than autism; that measles, cancer, any disease is a fate preferable to the dreaded “autism.”
It’s a notion that I find really troubling and ultimately harmful and hurtful. Yes, we’ve had our struggles to help Charlie and do the right thing by him but life’s always better with Charlie, and Charlie has autism, and that’s all part of the story.
Charlie was diagnosed with autism when we were living in Minnesota. It’s now eight years since we left the Twin Cities, and we’ve stayed in touch with a family whose child and Charlie share almost the same birthday. Our trajectories and choices have been different but so much more is the same. Both Charlie and our friend’s child are in new schools this year, are older, and many changes lie ahead.
Jim had to go into his office for a university event and Charlie and I were late getting into meet our friends, due to certain subways not running on the weekend. We had to take a different subway than usual and I realized that we were at our stop too late; Charlie, amid all the unfamiliarity, did not want to get up. A man with a boy of about 5 said to me, not unkindly, “don’t worry, there’s another stop coming up really soon.” It did and Charlie and I got out around Lincoln Center and hurried over to meet our friends. We talked and walked around the Fordham campus some and then Jim got the idea of taking the subway to lower Manhattan. Our friend’s child liked that idea a lot and down we went.
Charlie was excited and exuberant to be amid old friends and made what Jim describes as a sort of Olympics-worthy run with a shopping basket in had through a store on the way to finding some dinner. There’s always too much to talk about when we see our friends, about schools and how far we’ve come and life. Because we’ve all indeed come far, done much, changed.
Jim hailed a taxi for our friends to take back to their hotel. Charlie hopped in first when it pulled up and had to get out (and then the taxi started to drive off without all of our friends getting in). I felt like I had started several conversations with my friend and not been able to finish any; there’s just too much to talk about, too much to cram into a meal and a good walk. Too much.
The three of us walked through Chinatown and Little Italy to take the PATH train back to Jersey City. When we got on the train, Jim and I saw red on Charlie’s fingers and around his mouth: Another tooth loose.
Another night with Charlie, with our bestest friend, and some very good old friends who are walking on the same path us.
Autism a fate worse than measles—I have to think not.
“The MMR vaccine doesn’t hurt kids. Letting them go without it will.”
I think that one statement sums up what is wrong with the vaccine debate very well. It sounds good but it is not true. MMR can and does hurt kids. Letting them go without it will only hurt if they are exposed to something that it is attempting to prevent. The MMR isn’t likely to hurt a child, but I think it happens every day. And while some of the diseases are increasing, your chance of coming into contact is very small.
But what statements like that do is split the world into those who think that the MMR is as safe as a drink of water and think that measles is a death sentence and those who know that the MMR can have side effects up to and including death and the measles, while a serious disease, isn’t a death sentence (although it can also kill).
I think honesty when discussing vaccinations would go a long way to resolving the issues.
I think all someone needs to do is google ‘rubella’ and see why it is better to keep it nonexistent.
I am glad you had a great day out Kristina. Nice to read about happy days. All we can do is keep celebrating how great life can be with our kids and hopefully help to outshine the “terror of Autism” crew.
I’m truly sorry for any parent who feels that immunisation harmed their child, you can’t help what you feel. But I think there is a lot worse in the world than autism and I am glad my kids are happy and healthy and in the world with me today.
Love to you K, Jim and Charlie.
xx
I was vaccinated for measles as a young child and got the disease in a “mild” version as a teenager, from God knows where. I was very strong and healthy back then so I guess this helped me go through a very rough period where the rash affected my throat and I couldn’t eat anything but liquids, it hurt so much. I lost several pounds in a week. I can’t imagine what it must be like for a baby or toddler to go through what I did back then.
After reading about maybe 300 to 400 postings I naver seen any body to ask the question of why that the there wasn”t one remark about when the MMR was first used or maybe I havent read the board. Maybe that is the reason tha D Kirby gets to say what becaue nobody ever challenge him. Here Is a couple of questions that some one should ask! #1 In what year did they first use MMR? #2 What was the Autism Prevalence in 1990? It will be interesting to hear what the anwswers are. If the people had the facts then they feel more at ease to get their childern vaccinated. I will be looking forward to the anwsers!!
There’s no connection between the MMR and autism, according to the most recent studies. Information about the development of the MMR is widely available (here is the Wikipedia entry, and here is information from the CDC. Arthur Allen’s Vaccine would be a good place to start for a full history of vaccines.
My husband has a co-worker whose son turned one recently. She went to his well child visit for the MMR, Hep B and flu shot. Within a few days, the child was diagnosed with thrust and the MEASLES.
I got the mumps when I was 8, back in 1964, before there was a vaccine. I contracted encephalitis as a complication of the mumps, and it killed the auditory and vestibular nerves on my left side. I am stone deaf in my left ear, and must rely on vision to compensate for the lack of vestibular function.
I really wish I’d have been able to get the vaccine rather than the disease.
Nice post about the visit with friends and Charlie eager to ride in the taxi. Just earlier today Matthew seemed to be grinding his teeth and now I read that Charlie has a loose tooth.
I think there is still a post from me under your top posts for the week that has a link and stuck somewhere. Also I wanted to ask if you have posted about showers and how old Charlie was when he first started taking them. It is time for Matt to take one but he ran out last time I tried so still doing baths.
I was going to ask if school has showers, might be easier to get his aide to teach him to take a shower (with bathing suit on), not sure just toying with the idea.