Vaccinations are a hot debate topic among parents and health professionals. While vaccines have become commonplace requirements for our children, more and more parents are trending away from vaccinating their infants. While no one can deny the health benefits of being vaccinated against potentially fatal conditions like measles, small pox and hepatitis, there is growing concern that these same vaccines are harming our children.
On the plus side, diseases like smallpox have virtually disappeared since the inception of the vaccine. What was once a deadly and quick spreading catastrophe is now relegated to our history books. Today there are vaccines for chicken pox, mumps, rubella and a number of other nasty conditions. Requiring our children to be vaccinated before or in the early year of attending school has not only contained the spread of these diseases but has wiped some of them out altogether.
However, there is much suspicion and a bit of valuable evidence that suggests these vaccines are responsible for the upsurge of autism in our children. While there is no definitive evidence to prove this theory, there are many reports of children developing autistic symptoms directly after being vaccinated. Equally, there are reports that claim to show no linkage whatsoever.
The bottom line is that the choice is yours. Either decision can be viewed as risky. For those who do vaccinate, there is always the potential that your child will develop autism. For those who don’t, there are plenty of nasty viruses and bacteria lurking to infect an unprotected child.