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Understanding the Ruling on Autism-Like Symptoms and Vaccines

By Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD
Understanding the Georgia Vaccine Autism Ruling
 

 

In a controversy in early 2008, judges ruled a Georgia girl was entitled to compensation after developing autism-like symptoms after receiving five childhood vaccines in 2000. But what does this decision mean to your child and to other children?

It's important to note that the government has not said that childhood vaccines actually cause autism. Rather, the Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation (DVIC) at the Department of Health and Human Services agreed there is a possibility that the vaccines aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disorder in this young girl. The mitochondrial disorder manifested as a regressive neurological disease with some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.

Understandably, many parents are worried about the risks that are feared to accompany vaccinations. Ever since the first vaccines were developed, there have been risks. Most vaccine side effects are mild, and severe ones are extremely rare. But the use of vaccines in children has essentially eradicated a number of major childhood diseases that kill. When parents fail to vaccinate their children, the risk of serious—even deadly—disease epidemics extends beyond them and their families to their neighborhoods and communities. Failure to vaccinate lays the foundation for new epidemics that could result in serious harm to your child. For instance, a decline in vaccination rates in some European countries has led to fatal outbreaks of measles.

In short, whereas advocacy groups against childhood vaccines continue to take issue with immunizations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials maintain that this recent ruling should not be generalized to the risk of vaccines for all children. In a statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics reinforced its dedication to the health of all children and urged parents to fully immunize their children.

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

 




As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.