Should my child have the MMR vaccination?
Should my child have the MMR vaccination?
(Source wikepedia)
Introduction
Why is this question even being considered? The above graph shows that when the vaccine was licensed, there was a sudden drop in reported cases of RUBELLA, MUMPS and MEASELS. So why is this question being asked? In February 1998 research led by Dr Wakefield is the first to suggest that the MMR vaccine might be linked to an increased risk of autism and bowel disorders. MMR stands for MUMPS MEASELES AND RUBELLA. The MMR the injection of immunity against measles mumps and rubella it is given to a child around the age of one with a booster dose before starting school. If a child catches any of the diseases he is isolated from school. If the mother has been protected then the baby will have the mother's antibodies and is already immune.
How does a vaccine work?
Step 1
Small amount of disease MOs are put into your body. Dead or inactive forms are used so you don't get the disease itself. Sometimes just parts of the MOs are used.
Step 2
White blood cells recognise the foreign MOs. They make the right antibodies to stick to the MOs.
Step 3
The antibodies make the MOs clump together. White blood cells digest the clump.
Step 4
If you meet the real disease MO, the antibodies you need are made very quickly.
Step 5
The MOs are destroyed before they can make you ill.
Vaccines
Vaccines make use of the bodies own defence system. They kick- start your white blood cells into making antibodies. So you become immune to the disease without having to catch the disease first.
Are vaccines safe?
In the UK any medical treatment used on people should do two things:
. Improve your health
. Be safe to use
Doctors decide that a treatment is safe to use when:
. The risk of serious harmful effects is very small
. The benefits outweigh the risk
However people react differently to medical treatments. Some people could get well, and others can get worse .vaccines can and will protect your health.
ANTI BODY RESPONSE GRAPH
At the 1st exposure our body is infected by some bacteria that are causes of the disease at about 5 days.
The following take place between 5 days and 28 days.
The bacteria reproduce.
It makes antibodies to destroy the bacteria.
The white blood cells reproduce, now there are lots of white blood cells making antibodies.
The bacteria are killed (you begin to feel better)
Most of the white blood cells that make this antibody die, but a few stay in the blood.
At the 2nd exposure to the antigen,
At about 28 days.
You are infected by the same bacteria again.
But the bacteria are killed before they can make you ill.
You are now immune to ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
The bacteria reproduce.
It makes antibodies to destroy the bacteria.
The white blood cells reproduce, now there are lots of white blood cells making antibodies.
The bacteria are killed (you begin to feel better)
Most of the white blood cells that make this antibody die, but a few stay in the blood.
At the 2nd exposure to the antigen,
At about 28 days.
You are infected by the same bacteria again.
But the bacteria are killed before they can make you ill.
You are now immune to the disease.
How does a vaccination protect you?
A vaccine works by injecting small amounts of dead or inactive MOs into the body's blood cells. Such a small amount that it can't affect you. Once your body recognises it threw the above processes you become immune to the disease
What is autisms disease?
Autism is classically defined as a devastating disorder It as a severally incapacitation disability that was relatively rare. It occurred in approximately 1-2 infants per 10, 000 births. The disease is first noticed when the child begins to talk. Those affected have highly unusual, aggressive and self injurious behaviour. Within the first six months of age, parents noticed something was wrong when children did not coo or smile. They resisted infection and did not interact normally.
"A person with autism describes their condition...:
Reality to an autistic person is a confusing, interacting mass of events, people, places, sounds and sights. There seems t be no clear boundaries, order or meaning to anything. A large part of my life is spent trying to work out the pattern of everything."
(Source twenty first century science)
As you can see autisms is a major cause for concern. Autism doesn't have any major visual clues on a child. In reality you wouldn't be able to tell a child with autism apart from another, Autism is a disabling brain disorder.
It affects the way in which people understand and react to the world around them. This causes them to act differently than others. Many autistic people have a hard time using words to say what they want or need, where as others might end up repeating the same word or sentence over and over again.
The difficulty in understanding what others are saying can cause great confusion. They may see or hear a person talking, and although every word has been heard, they fail to grasp the meaning of what has been said.
A child with autism may be perfectly happy one moment, but all of a sudden become sad or angry, or even have a tantrum. This may be because they can't tell people what they want. Taking the wrong turning or a certain noise could trigger this reaction, or simply parking the car on the wrong side of the road.
The fact is, it could be any number of things,
For the parent or carer of the autistic person finding the cause can be a long slow process. (If not at times impossible)
A lack of communication can lead to frustration and confusion both for the autistic person and for the people around them.
Many people with autism have ritualistic behaviour, insistence on routine and sameness.
An autistic person may be perfectly happy to go to a familiar shop, but take them to a different shop to buy the same item, and they may become frustrated, withdrawn, and even fearful.
An unfamiliar space or routine no longer feels safe or secure. The autistic person can find it very difficult to relate from one situation to another.
Reality to an autistic person can be confusing, a mass of events, people, places, sounds and sights. With no clear boundaries, or meaning to anything.
They do however share problems in three key areas.
Communication, Social Interaction And Imagination.
Autism is often referred to as a "spectrum disorder," meaning that the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a variety of combinations, ranging from extremely mild to quite severe.
People with autism can often have accompanying learning disabilities but everyone with the condition shares a difficulty in making sense of the world.
(Source http://www.paains.org.uk/Autism/whatisautism.htm)
The link between the MMR vaccination and autism
When did the link between MMR and autism occur?
The theory came around when Dr Andrew Wakefield: of the Royal free hospital suggested that common childhood vaccine may be linked with autism and cause an intestinal disorder. He claimed that the combination of the three virus strains may overload the body's immune system and cause the bowel disorder to develop.
(Source http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/60510.stm)
DR ANDREW WAKEFIELD.
Vaccines 'should be given separately'
Other members of the team have questioned the connection, but Dr Wakefield claims that until further research is done to determine whether there is a link between the disease and the MMR vaccine, the jab should be given in three separate doses spaced by at least one year.
However, he stressed the importance of children being immunized against the diseases, particularly measles.
Dr Wakefield, a reader in experimental gastroenterology, said: "This is a genuinely new syndrome and urgent further research is needed to determine whether MMR may give rise to this complication in a small number of people.
"For the vast majority of children the MMR vaccine is fine, but I believe there are sufficient anxieties for a case to be made to administer the three vacations separately.
Trials 'insufficient'
"I do not think that the long-term safety trials of MMR are sufficient for giving the three vaccines together."
His colleague Professor Roy Ponder, who admitted the study, was controversial, added: "In hindsight it may be a better solution to give the vaccinations separately, although administratively it is a wonderful idea.
"When the vaccinations were given individually there was no problem."
Research to determine the link between the syndrome and the MMR vaccine is currently under way. The team will meet the chief medical officer, who has already called for an independent review, at the end of March to discuss the vaccination.
The article suggests the link between MMR and autism this is what caused the concern. DR Wakefield's studies aren't good enough to prove the link between MMR and autism, further research not his claims prove him wrong. However his claim that there is a link should not be discarded he obviously has found a cause of concern and it may or may not be the truth. But it is a fact and it can benefit many people that have been affected with autism. But diseases like measles are to dangerous to not be immunized.
This particular graph shows the number of people with autism both before and after the MMR vaccination was introduced. From the time the vaccine was introduced the rate of the number of people with Autism diseases has risen quite considerably. This is not sufficient enough evidence to be 100% sure that this is the case. As no real breakthrough has been made it is difficult to say for certain that the MMR vaccine has caused the rise in Autism disease.
The debate for autism against MMR has been feuding up for a long time. The BBC website explicitly states there is no link. 'Scientists say they have strong evidence that the MMR vaccination is not linked to a rise in Autism'. New scientist reports show that the autism rate kept rising after the withdrawal of MMR. 'Its "rubbish" the link between MMR and a general rise in autism.' They say that the increase in Autism mirrors the introduction of the MMR. But can this not just be coincidence?
Why is the fact that a vaccine is linked to autism being considered? If giving millions of people a vaccine, to protect them against a widespread disease, is for their benefit, by isolating any outbreaks. Nobody really is sure about what the exact cause of autism is. Okay, I have weighed both sides of the argument. I have come to the conclusion that your child should have the MMR vaccination! Why? Simple it protects them against MUMPS, MEASELS AND RUBELLA. It puts them out of risk of any potentially dangerous outbreaks, and I am happy enough with the research I have obtained to say that there is no link between MMR and autism. It seems to have been a small concern that has now been outweighed with research from scientists around the world.
Bibliography
Source http://www.paains.org.uk/Autism/whatisautism.htm)
(Source http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/60510.stm)
(Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMR_vaccine)
(Source OCR 21ST CENTURY BIOLOGY BOOK.)
(Source http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/431113.stm)
Awis Tanveer
