The history of Immunology largely involves the discovery of vaccines. Vaccines have undoubtedly saved millions of lives over the decades they have been used. However vaccines are not without controversy. Many people think that there is link between vaccines and autism. I have an acquaintance who is a scientist who says it happened to his child. There are some families that do not get vaccinated. There is some evidence that vaccines have caused the disease they are trying to prevent as in the recent case of polio vaccines..this is called VDPV..vaccine derived polioviruses.
There are consequences to not being vaccinated also. In 2010 there was an outbreak of whooping cough, 10 babies in the Los Angeles area died!
Polio has raised its ugly head again in Africa just this year when officials thought it might be eradicated.
What should be our response as Christian biologists to this situation? There is a doctor in the LA area Dr Bob Sears who has some interesting things to say about this also.
Do some research and examine the evidence. Do you think there is a link between autism and vaccine use?
Check out the VDPV cases. Have there been deaths in this case? How many cases of vaccine induced polio have been documented? Is there enough evidence in this case to make all vaccine's suspect as dangerous?
Find Dr Sears views on vaccination. What do you think about Dr Sear's approach to vaccination do you think it has some merit?
Would you or will you have your children vaccinated?
Do you think polio will be completely eradicated?
THIS BLOG IS DUE SEPT 17
I highly doubt that vaccines cause autism. Most of the cases being made (that vaccines cause autism) argue that some of the ingredients in the vaccines cause autism but the CDC did more studies on the ingredients that are suspected to cause autism that found that thimerosal, which was suspected to cause autism, and other ingredients didn't cause autism. Thimerosal is also not included in shots anymore ( you even can also ask to make sure).
ReplyDeleteAs for VDPV, it seems like there are very few reported cases of death. The people being infected by VDPV are also typically people that didn't receive the polio vaccine. So vaccines in a way are the cause of VDPV, but if everyone did get the vaccination, then VDVP shouldn't be a threat. In addition, if there was a way to ensure that everyone did get a polio vaccination, I think that polio could be eradicated.
Dr. Sears does a good job at explaining both sides of the argument on Vaccinations. He does acknowledge that vaccines have side effects and can potentially cause harm, but he also explains that vaccinations also prevent diseases that also cause harm. He aims to inform his audience about the whole controversy so that they can make their own educated decisions on vaccinations.
Personally, I would vaccinate my children. However, I might wait a few weeks after the vaccine is distributed and do some research on the vaccination first to wait out any potential recalls or mistakes made. I also think that as christians getting vaccines can be part of loving your neighbor as yourself, because in getting vaccinated you are not only preventing yourself from getting the illnesses, but also not receiving and transferring the disease to others that don't get vaccinated or can't get vaccinated.
Sarah, I think you bring up a good point about vaccinating your children in order to prevent the transferring of diseases to others who cannot get vaccinated. Vaccinating the healthy population is especially important for children with certain medical conditions or allergic reactions that make it impossible for them to be vaccinated. After volunteering with pediatric occupational therapy the past 6 years, I have gotten to know several children who cannot be vaccinated due to certain allergic reactions, making them extremely susceptible to life-threatening diseases. By vaccinating healthy children, we are not only protecting the children being vaccinated, but also these children who are unable to protect themselves through vaccinations.
Delete1. The current hypothesis is that too many vaccines taken at a young age can cause autism, but there is no substantial evidence to support this claim. According to a research study conducted by Gadad et al. (2015), no correlation was found between the behavioral or neuropathological differences characteristic of people with autism and the current pediatric vaccine schedule. Several other ecological, case control studies have also found no correlation between autism and either MMR vaccines or vaccines containing thimerosal (Offit, 2015). For further reading, look at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4603512/pdf/pnas.201516574.pdf.
ReplyDelete2. Currently, no deaths have resulted from VDPV. According to the WHO, 809 cases of VDPV have been documented globally since 2000. However, there is not enough evidence to conclude that all vaccines are dangerous. One of the main reasons for the emergence of VDPV is a low polio vaccination coverage in certain countries. For example, India only has a 70 percent immunization coverage. Conversely, 195 countries have completely eradicated polio with the polio vaccine due to a high immunization coverage, reducing the disease by more than 99 percent.
3. Yes, I think that Dr. Sears’ views on vaccinations do have merit because his vaccination schedule avoids vaccine reactions due to overloading the baby’s immune system by spreading out the vaccines over a longer period of time.
4. Yes, I will have my children vaccinated because research has shown the outcome of vaccines to be more beneficial than dangerous. However, I may implement Dr. Sears’ pediatric vaccination schedule in order to reduce the chance of vaccine reactions.
5. Yes, I think polio will be completely eradicated if the polio vaccination has global coverage. Once there is global coverage, the current polio vaccine OPV, which is associated with VDPV, can be replaced with the polio vaccine IPV in order to eliminate the chance of VDPV re-emerging.
Hi Annie
DeleteI agreed with you that the outcome of vaccines have proven to be more beneficial than dangerous, and that should motivate us to have our children vaccinated. There can be even more detrimental effects if we don't get vaccination. Dr. Sears' innovative vaccination schedule is worth taking into consideration because it seems logical that some children may not need that many vaccines in their early years. It would be a "chemical overload", according to Dr. Sears. However Dr. Sears' schedule is currently in hot water. It is not approved by the CDC for the main reason that the schedule encourages parents to skip out on crucial vaccines that can protect children from vaccine-preventable illnesses. After knowing that, I shied away from Dr. Sears' schedule now.
Sarah and Annie, Thanks for getting the discussion started!!
ReplyDeleteThe very first evidence that accuses vaccines of causing autism was brought by Child Psychiatrist Leo Kanner from Johns Hopkins University in 1943, who found that children who received a small pox vaccine displayed withdrawal and uncommunicative behaviors. Kenner noted that the anti-bacterial substance called “Thimerosal” included in the vaccine was the primary perpetrator. The neurotoxicity of this substance and other mercury found in vaccines has prompted a concern for researchers in recent years. A research paper from Northeastern University suggests that ethanol, mercury and thimerosal inhibit the methylation pathway in the development and communication of cells, which ultimately leads to neurodevelopmental intoxication. Despite these striking findings, the CDC had issued an official statement saying that there is no link between autism and vaccines, based on the evidence of conducted studies on thimerosal throughout the years. Since the cases that relate autism to vaccines are rare and quite obscure, I don’t think that there is an immediate link between vaccine and autism. I believe that these cases that raised concerns about vaccination have to be looked at holistically. In other words, we need to look at the mutation potential, risk factors, and environmental effects on each individual before drawing the conclusion.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html
https://healthimpactnews.com/2013/30-scientific-studies-showing-the-link-between-vaccines-and-autism/
Cases of VDPV outbreak are extremely rare, as little as 24 occurrences in 21 countries for the last ten years according to WHO. There are no death related to these cases that were documented. There is indeed not enough evidence to conclude that polio vaccine is dangerous. Although they are extremely rare cases, we still need to consider the pros and cons of all vaccines before administering them to the public.
http://www.who.int/immunization/diseases/poliomyelitis/endgame_objective2/oral_polio_vaccine/VAPPandcVDPVFactSheet-Feb2015.pdf
Dr. Sears has decided to take the middle ground between the two extremes. On one hand he does not endorse the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule, which suggests a multitude of vaccines for children from ages 0 to 6. On the other hand Dr. Sears is at odds with parents who abstain from vaccinating their kids completely. He himself puts forth a more rational and staggered vaccination schedule that he deems fitting for children. His reasoning for this recommendation is that small children whose immunity is still developing should be prevented from adverse effect of vaccines. However Dr. Sears also wants to instill a fear of diseases in the parents’ mind so that they would not put their own children at risk of infection later on in life. I think that Dr. Sear’s approach has some very important and valid points that all parents need to consider.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/robert-w-sears-why-partial-vaccinations-may-be-an-answer/
We all need to be educated about immunization more and more everyday. Conducting our own research about immunization and coming to our own conclusions, rather than blindly believing in naysayers, is the first step to ensure the health of our children and us. Of course I would have my children vaccinated. But I would be cautious of what kind of vaccines they will be given and the appropriate timeframe for the vaccination.
I don’t think that polio will be completely eradicated anytime soon. The only two infectious diseases that have ever been eradicated were smallpox and rinderpest. This fact alone just shows that our medical research and technology still have a long way to go. Moreover we have to consider the rapid and active mutation potential of the virus, that could conclude in more virulent strains circulating in the population. Looking at another extreme, during the time that we try to distribute the vaccine to everyone in the world, the virus may become resistant to the only mechanism that we have to fight against it.
I forgot to add that as Christian biologists, our response should be in love and understanding. And that love and understanding could only come from knowing that God is in control of every adverse circumstance in life. We need to let others know that God and science are not two separate entities, but that God created science and science works according to his will and command. We can use the scientific knowledge and understanding about vaccination that God blessed us with to protect ourselves and our children. We ourselves ought to be educated in such matter, in order to teach others about the pros and cons of vaccination, and ultimately direct them to appropriate actions.
DeleteI agree that we should not be quick to assume there is an immediate link between vaccines and autism because, as you stated, there are other factors so that should affect the way we approach it.
DeleteYou make a good point that we ought to take initiative in doing our own research instead of just going along with popular opinion.
Thanks for also adding that science and God are not separate but that science is used for His will and for His glory. It is a good reminder we need to keep with us through our education and so on.
6. The vaccine controversy is just that, controversial. That being said as Christian Biologists I think that it is important to inform people of the pros to vaccinations that far out weigh the cons, how their decision to not vaccinate effects other people, and also about how vaccinations have no connection to autism. This is important because vaccinations have the ability to save lives and as believers we should seek to have compassion and try to minimize the death of children as much as we can. I think there is also a line where we can become unloving when we express our opinions on this subject matter. It is important to remember that we don’t live for this kingdom, but for our eternal home and we cannot sacrifice our witness to unbelievers over this earthly matter.
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DeleteI think you brought up some great points Melia. The choice to get, or not to get vaccinated is not simply a personal decision because it can impact others. The positive outcomes of vaccinations definitely outweigh the negatives, and people need to be reminded of this. We have the resources, due to medical advancements, to prevent serious diseases and save lives. Like you said, this should be something believers seek and encourage others to seek in a loving way.
DeleteMelia and Sam,
DeleteI agree completely with how it can be unloving to not clearly see vaccines are best. Like Melia said, we want to minimize death. I also think it's a bad way to steward the blessing that is vaccine. It is a medical advancement that's God-given. But I do have a speculation, because preventing death near birth is one thing, and when you're literally near death due to old age is another. There is a controversy over whether or not the elderly in pain should be kept on life support. One argument is "let God decide when they should pass, not us, take the person off life support and end their suffering." The other is "keep them on life support." This controversy almost divided my family over whether or not they should pull the plug on my saved grandma. Thoughts or opinions?
Research shows that there is enough evidence to support that vaccines do not cause autism nor is the polio vaccine dangerous. The CDC also has a fact sheet that describes the process of ensuring vaccine safety in the US.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/patient-ed/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-ensuring-bw-office.pdf
This being said, I would have my children vaccinated but after researching as a precaution. Vaccines are an incredible result of the Lord giving us minds to advance in health care. Even though there are risks to vaccines, there are no other comparable alternatives, so vaccines should be used to prevent serious diseases from harming my child and also preventing the spread of disease to the public. The topic of vaccines will always be controversial because research and studies are always in progress, so who knows what kind of significant findings will come up between now and the time I'd have to consider vaccination. As Christians, however, in the mean time we ought to be loving and not judgmental towards those we disagree with. It is easy to be puffed up with knowledge we gain from research and scientific journals, but we need to inform others while understanding their concern.
I think that is a great observation on how vaccines are a blessing from the Lord Sheri! I have heard the argument that we should not use vaccinations because they were not there pre-fall. I would not agree with that statement, but think that God has given us many advances that help lessen the effects of the fall, like vaccinations, and I do think it is okay to take advantage of them.
DeleteOf course I would get my children to be vaccinated. There is many research and evidence that shoes the vaccines do not cause and potential dangers like autism. Vaccines help saved lives and I think its those who get diseases are the ones who refuse to be vaccinated. Knowing that a vaccine could prevent a disease for your children so that they could live a healthy life is very assuring. If more people would get vaccinated, then eradicating a disease would be more likely to happen. Since the introduction of the vaccine, case numbers over the years have decrease significantly. http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/polio/facts/en/ The more we vaccinate children, the better for the future as they will most likely vaccinate their children. As a Christian, we can have a lot of influence in peoples lives. We need to be able to be examples of a person who cares and loves one another. We can't try to force someone to be vaccinated because we think is good. The way we approach them is to first of all show that we care for them and second of all just lay out the positives of a vaccinations and also the concerns of it. Being knowledgeable about these topics can be good but if we don't approach people in a Christ like manner, than what's the point then.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is the right course of action to vaccinate your children because not only do you want to keep them safe and prevent as much illness as you can, but also so that they will be more likely to follow your example. If we helped our children understand why they were vaccinated and the importance of vaccines, they would definitely be more likely to continue vaccinating the future generations. I think that education is a huge responsibility that we have to give to the upcoming generations.
DeleteI think you brought up some very important points regarding the importance of vaccines and how helpful they have been in prevention of disease since their advent. We should want to protect our children from illness, and vaccines have proven themselves more than able through history. Outbreaks of disease related to vaccines are usually due to other factors in the community that's affected. Knowing the possible risks of any vaccination (and medication for that matter) should be a priority for any parent before they allow their child to be vaccinated.
DeleteI also appreciate how you addressed the point of educating younger generations about the importance of vaccinations and their role in helping us avoid disease. Educating the younger generations is definitely a responsibility we should all shoulder.
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ReplyDeleteA man, (Dr. Sears), who has literally been on the verge of losing his vocational license for “medical negligence” is obviously not one who should be taken for tooth and nail. There are some cases where women, in attempts to have the most healthy pregnancies possible that develop a vaccine “paranoia,” end up realizing the truth behind the medical miracle that are vaccines and how they are not culprits to autism. There have been cases where people extract polio after getting the vaccine but the ration is 10 billion to 500. Plus, Polio is an infection and not mainly a genetic derived condition like autism. A mother of two named Juniper Russo was one who fell into what I call the “Dr. Sears” paranoia and the doctor that helped her to vaccine enlightenment I feel is the voice of many doctors and other medical experts that don’t buy unto the vaccine- autism lie for one bit. Juniper with her first child went all organic and refused to do anything that modern medicine could help with. Her doctor laid down the law, told her Dr. Sears was “not smart” and that she knew better. Actually it was a bit more savage. The moment Juniper protested against vaccines the Doctor asked Juniper where she went to Med School. She also said in counter that, “If your baby is going to be autistic, then your baby is going to be autistic whether she’s vaccinated or not.” Turns out, though Juniper still refused to vaccinate her daughter, her daughter was years later diagnosed with high functioning autism. It is irrational to think that if there is one case where an impairment is possibly contracted from a vaccine, then ALL vaccines despite all other forms of strong and fool-proof evidence of immunity developments are dangerous. I do not believe that polio could be eradicated so long as we live in a fallen world but I would still have my children be vaccinated on a current traditional schedule.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a really good point. There are so many women (from what I've seen) that want to have the healthiest pregnancy and now health is so often equated with "Natural" so they have built up an idea that vaccines aren't good because they don't fit their view of natural. So they don't want to vaccinate their kids, but really vaccines are harnessing the capacity of the body's natural immune system to fight diseases. I also liked that you used other cases to show that autism isn't caused by vaccines because many can be skeptical of the CDC and other companies that could potentially loose a lot of their money if vaccines were defective. I think it is really important to see that autism can come from so many factors, so vaccines really aren't as terrible as people make them out to be.
DeleteWow I did not know this about Dr Sears...is the case against him coming from reliable sources? Interesting.
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ReplyDeleteI do not think there is a link between autism and vaccines; and the studies that have been completed support this. The CDC has completed many studies that have shown no link between the two. One study found that only rare exceptions of patients had results that questioned the safety of vaccines. Another found no difference in the number of antigens between children with and without ASD. Studies have even been completed studying the ingredients of vaccines, which have also shown no evidence of links to ASD. I think there is always the possibility of something being overlooked or simply not discovered yet, such as an indirect link between the two, but the evidence that we have now does not support the two being linked.
ReplyDeleteThere are three types of VDPV, all of which are rare: circulating VDPV, immunodeficiency-related VDPV, and ambiguous VDPV. Although very rare, they have been cases that have resulted in paralysis or death. In a span of eleven years (2000-2011) only 20 cVPDV cases were documented and only 33 cases of iVDPV have ever been documented. These numbers show the rarity of a genetically mutated poliovirus deriving from a vaccine. I do not believe there is enough evidence in this case to make polio vaccines suspect as dangerous (since the majority of the results are beneficial), let alone classify all vaccines as dangerous.
I appreciate that after realizing how large the market was in books opposed to vaccines, Dr. Sears set out to write a book that told both sides of the story. He created a way for parents to become more knowledgeable on the topic in order to make a well-informed decision. However, he has noticed the growing mistrust of vaccinations and fears trouble with diseases down the line. He created an approach to vaccination that is less intense/overloaded than the CDC vaccine schedule. After reading how he changed the vaccination schedule to prioritize and space out the vaccines, I do think his approach has some merit. I think it makes parents feel better about vaccinating their kids and could reduce any potential bad reactions in the child.
I will vaccinate my children, but I will be the parent that wants to know all the information ahead of time and rightly so. I think it is an important medical advancement that should at least be considered by every parent; especially since it has proven successful in most cases. As Christians, we need to remember and recognize that God has given us the ability and means to protect ourselves or to figure out a way to do so. We live in a world that is medically and technologically very advanced, and God knew we would be here. We are not expected to have and create these resources and then not use them.
In the case of polio for example, the vaccines have been very successful and the disease has been eradicated in quite a few places. I think the potential for polio to be completely eradicated is technically there, but because of the world we live in and the increasing suspicion of vaccines it most likely will not occur.
I am glad to here that you would vaccinate your children and I think it is very important to the information ahead of time and understand it before any type of vaccination. We can't always assume that vaccinations are perfect and are going to work 100% of the time so learning about the vaccination is very important. And it is true that as Christians, God gives us the means to study medicine in order that we would be able to cure many sorts of diseases. What a great God he is!
DeleteNo, I do not think there is a direct link to vaccines and autism. In the Scientific America article on autism and vaccines, it brought up an interesting point that the time when kids receive their vaccinations is around the same time that autism symptoms will normally present themselves in children who have or have not been vaccinated. I do not know how this fact has effected the medical community, but it is an interesting hypothesis to think about. If it is true that autism symptoms will present themselves around the same time as children will normally be vaccinated, then there needs to be very supportive evidence to link autism medically to vaccination.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.Scientificamerca.com/article/fact-or-fiction-vaccines-are-dangerous/
Yes, there have been deaths caused by IVDPV cases. Less than 100 cases worldwide have been documented between 1962 and 2006. These statistics reveal that while there is a fatal risk involved with VDPV, the cases that have been documented are rare. There is not enough evidence to assume that all vaccines are dangerous. Also, the good that vaccines can provide with regard to protection from other life-threatening illnesses is far greater than the fear of VDPV should be.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5540a3.htm
I think that Dr. Sears offers a great alternative for the parents that do not want their children to be vaccinated at all. He says that “For those parents who, after reading all the reasons why vaccines are important in my book, still believe vaccines aren’t safe and plan to not vaccinate, I at least ask them to consider getting the most important infant vaccines so their babies have protection from the life-threatening illnesses (HIB, PC, DTaP, and Rota). Where my alternative schedule comes into play is for those parents who are still unsure about vaccines, but they do want to fully vaccinate.” I think that this is a very noble view because he is not saying that his view is the only right one, but that parents need to do their research, come to a decision about vaccines and make the best choice for their children. However, he does make sure that the parents clearly know that not vaccinating their children can be very dangerous.
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/vaccines/response-dr-offits-misleading-inaccurate-review-vaccine-book-pediatrics-january-2009
Yes, I will have my children vaccinated because it is a small thing that can be done to prevent life-threatening disease and protect the health of my children. “Among children born in the past 2 decades, vaccinations will prevent more than 20 million hospitalizations and 732, 000 deaths.” These statistics show very clearly the good that vaccines are doing and how effective and preventative they are. Vaccines are an easy way to prevent life-threatening diseases from not only infecting your children, but from infecting the children around your family and community.
http://www.Scientificamerca.com/article/fact-or-fiction-vaccines-are-dangerous/
I appreciate that you looked at Dr. Sears concessions on the importance of vaccines: he doesn't completely dismiss them. I mean, we can't from what they do. And in regards to the several cases where signs of autism showed up in infants, it is important to note, as you did, that they show up around the traditional vaccine schedule. This would lead many to believe a vaccine is the reason for the infants' autism, but it would also explain why they could be wrong.
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