Study linking vaccinations to the rise of autism in children has been fully retracted

By Nick Rees

A 1998 study published by the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet that has now been fully retracted linked the rise in autism in young children to vaccines.

This study led some parents to decide not to vaccinate their children, with experts saying that these unvaccinated children have caused a rise in certain diseases, including an ongoing whooping cough epidemic in California that has seen more than 900 people infected and five infant deaths.

"Vaccinations are one of the greatest advances of medicine in the last century," Dr. David Oppenheim, MD, selected as a Chicago Top Doctor by TopTierMD as a top rated pediatrician in Chicago, says. "Unfortunately, they have been undermined by various groups and unfounded beliefs.

"We're strong proponents of fully immunizing children according to the CDC schedule and recommendations. Immunizations are a main focus of what we do."

There are two main reasons that people shy away from vaccines, Dr. Oppenheim says.

"The first reason was established about 15 years ago when Dr. Wakefield, an English doctor, pushed a misguided theory that the MMR vaccine causes autism due to some disturbance in the intestine. This has been refuted scientifically. Dr. Wakefield's motives have also been proven to be less than honest. It was revealed that he was being paid by the people who came up with this theory. He was recently censured by the British government and his license to practice medicine was taken away."

The other reason that parents might be hesitant to vaccinate their children, Dr. Oppenheim says, stems from fears about a mercury derivative that was used years ago as a preservative in vaccines.

"The mercury derivative, which is no longer used, wasn't the some one that causes problems in groundwater or fish we eat," Dr. Oppenheim says. "Some groups still claim that is caused autism, though."

Dr. Oppenheim says that information is slowly being discovered that shows the true causes of autism are generally genetic causes, but that vaccines make an easy scapegoat because they are given to all children.

"Anyone who has a kid with autism, statistically speaking, probably had that child vaccinated early in life, which is when autism is discovered," Dr. Oppenheim says.

The best way to handle parents who fear the safety of vaccines, Dr. Oppenheim says, is to educate them about the safety of vaccines.

"After we have candid conversations with them, the parents almost always agree to fully immunize their children at the right and don't forgo or postpone any vaccines, which we feel is harmful.

Dr. David Oppenheim, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered Best in Pediatrics in Chicago. He specializes in well child care and the treatment of asthma.