My thoughts on the connection of MMR Vaccine to Autism

I have posted earlier that because of the Measles Outbreak that we are currently having in our country, it is advisable to send our kids to centers to get a Measles Vaccine.  This will prevent them from getting the virus and lessen the spread of the disease.  One of my beloved readers (Atty. Edel) left a comment asking me on what is my take on the MMR vaccine connecting to Autism.

At first, I didn’t know how to answer her question, and I even blamed my ongoing commenter of the month contest for encouraging people to comment on any of my post because some of the questions are really tough to answer but it’s ok.  I have smart readers, and it is challenging to receive questions like this.

On the News

When my son was diagnosed with ASD I made a lot of research on what it was all about.  I have read that there is a speculation that a vaccine was connected with Autism.  Unfortunately, the site did not mention what kind of vaccine it was, that is why the story did not bothered me.  But last year, a friend posted this news from dailymail.co.uk on her timeline.

According to the news, the team lead by Dr Vijendra Singh experimented on blood samples of 125 kids with Autism and 92 typical kids. In 75 of the children with autism, they found antibodies showing there had been an abnormal reaction to the measles component of the MMR vaccine.  These antibodies attack the brain by targeting the basic building blocks of myelin, the insulating sheath that covers nerve fibers. This stops the nerves to develop properly and may affect brain functions. None of the typical kids showed the unusual anti-measles response.

During my son’s therapy session, my co-parents usually discussed about the causes of Autism.  Because of our kids’ condition, we parents do lots of research and what we usually look for is a solution that may lessen the burden of the kids who have Autism.  One of the parents that I talked to said that they went to a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) Doctor.  The DAN doctor told them that autism is a disorder caused by a combination of lowered immune response, external toxins from vaccines and other sources, and problems caused by certain foods. That is why they recommend kids diagnosed with Autism to go on a GFCF Diet and detoxification of heavy metals.

The study of Dr Vijendra Singh and the conclusion of the DAN Doctors are quite related, because they are both saying that kids with Autism have excessive minerals inside their body that is different from regular kids.  These minerals are there from the time they were born, it was just triggered by various things (a vaccine maybe, foods etc) that affects the development of the child.

This situation is one of the things that is hard to control by parents like me who just want the best for our child. It is hard to make a decision especially if it’s your first time in being a parent. There are no Parenting 101 booklets that will tackle everything and will answer every questions you have in mind. You can ask questions from the people who have experienced it, but remember that the solution may work to some but NOT to all. You will get the lessons through experiencing it.

We had my son get the complete list of vaccines because we are living in a dangerous world where viruses are everywhere.  We want him to be safe, healthy and fine. But to be honest, I don’t know what to answer to you if you will ask me if I will let him get the MMR vaccine before I learned about these things.

It’s up to you if you want your child to get vaccinated or not.