Dangers of Vaccines

Hannah Hardy
11-20-09
Argument Paper

Vaccine Controversy: MMR vs. Autisms

What if a medical procedure actually left you worse than before? Many people fear that is the case with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. Over that last couple decades Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has drastically increased. It is unclear what is actually causing this increase, but many people have come to the conclusion   it is caused by “environmental” exposure. One of the most widely blamed exposure is vaccines, which too have increased over the last couple decades. Although there are many anti-vaccination groups dedicated to stopping vaccination, there is no evidence that directly relates vaccines to cause autism.
The first known idea of vaccination was done by the Chinese . They called it “variolation” they would purposely expose people to a mild case of a disease so the body would grow an immunity to it. But the first vaccine was the small pox vaccination founded by Dr. Edward Jenner in 1796. He used a cowpox lesion from a milkmaids hand. Cowpox was a less serious disease but seemed to be related to smallpox and was found to give immunity to smallpox. He was able to prove this immunity by trying to give a “vaccinated” person smallpox, which the person didn’t contract. Since this vaccination we now have vaccines that are routinely given for 14 disease (Miller and Reynolds 167).
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define Autism Spectrum Disorders as developmental disabilities comprising not only classic autism, but also Asperger’s disorder and a cluster of other conditions grouped under the rubric “pervasive development disorders not otherwise specified” (Berg 14). Symptoms that can define this disease are fearfulness, withdrawal, impaired ability to communicate, and repetitive behaviors. There are also three major ASD’s including: Autistic Disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Fernell 766). Because there are many...