| Is your child due for vaccination? Better make sure | | | | With similar reports coming up once too often, many |
| you learn more about mercury poisoning before you | | | | parents have turned away from vaccination, |
| proceed. | | | | something that many doctors and health experts find |
| It is not yet medical fact but many parents of children | | | | as great a risk for the children as acquiring autism. |
| with autism believe vaccines cause this disease. It is a | | | | There is no proof that autism can be acquired from |
| hot topic in the medical community, among activists, | | | | vaccination, they maintain. On the other hand, there is |
| and certainly among parents. | | | | solid proof that vaccination protects kids from |
| Some who deal with autism in the family have had | | | | diseases. |
| their children diagnosed for mercury blood traces, after | | | | But the fear persists. It is not unusual for parents with |
| finding out that vaccines contain this element and that | | | | an autistic child to receive test results indicating high |
| there could be a scientific basis to believe it is the | | | | mercury levels in the body of their children. They had |
| culprit for their child's disease. | | | | been told that vaccines with traces of mercury were |
| There is a growing number of parents faced with this | | | | safe for their children because the toxin would be |
| concern because autism now occurs in 1 out of every | | | | naturally expelled from the body. But this seemed to |
| 150 children. Autism incidence, or the number of children | | | | not be the case with autistic children. |
| diagnosed with autism, is off the charts, with four-digit | | | | Laboratory testing on animals has also shown that |
| growth rates reported with every passing year since | | | | mercury exposure at the level received by children |
| 2005. Since vaccination levels have been growing just | | | | from vaccines resulted in behavior diagnosed to be |
| as steadily over the years, it is possible the two could | | | | patterns of autism. While this has not been established |
| be linked. | | | | by science, it gives many parents pause. |
| This possibility arose when parents began reporting | | | | It is best to keep yourself updated on child health and |
| abnormal behavior in their children after vaccination. For | | | | safety issues, talk to your pediatrician openly about |
| many, it was a harrowing experience of watching their | | | | your concerns, and to find out what other parents |
| bubbly child become shy, often withdrawn, suddenly | | | | have learned. If you do go ahead with your child's |
| having a hard time walking and talking, and would have | | | | vaccination, opt for those containing no or minute |
| severe tantrums. These are all signs of autism-as they | | | | traces of mercury. It is better to be safe than sorry. |
| were soon to learn. | | | | |