The Epidemic Of The Measles Vaccine - 1133 Words

Poking is Optional In 1998, British medical journal The Lancet, published a research paper written by Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his research partners. This particular paper stated that there was a direct link between autism, Gastrointestinal Decease and the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. It concluded that a specific mercury based preservative found in the vaccine caused neurological damage to some children (Wakefield). Numerous doctors and researchers of all kinds tried to duplicate Wakefield’s research. No one could confirm his hypothesis or render the same results. Brian Deere, an investigative reporter from the U.K., found several conflicts of interest in regards to Wakefield’s conclusions. He discovered that†¦show more content†¦Even though Wakefield was dubbed a medical fraud and his research was debunked, the damage of his lies and the stigma of vaccinations being harmful to children, cannot be undone. The Anti-Vaccination Movement started short ly after Wakefield’s paper became popular. People associated with this group promote the idea that all vaccines, not just the MMR vaccine, that doctors recommended for children are more unsafe then the actual disease it prevents. Celebrities and politicians such as Jim Carry, Jenny McCarthy, Chris Cristie and Rand Paul, endorse and praise Dr. Wakefield’s research. They believe him to be a martyr of sorts for autism and the stand against big pharmaceutical and the government. Unfortunately, children of the parents who believe the idols they look up to are not receiving the vaccines that could keep them healthy from the dangers of things like Pertussis, most commonly known as whooping cough. Pre-vaccination, pertussis killed 9,000 people annually in the United States, most being infants and the elderly. It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It is an infection of the respiratory system and mainly affects babies younger than 6 months who are too young to be v accinated. This is why it is so important for others to be immunized, so they do not spread the infection to a baby. Parents that do not vaccinate are by no means bad parents, they fear the vaccines could