Is there a real risk of autism with the vaccines given to children?

Hello,

Your questions are very pertinent and you are not the only one to ask these questions. Indeed, at the medical level, the myth of autism in relation to vaccines is so widespread that it is very difficult to fight it despite our studies with millions of children that show the opposite.

As you mentioned, the very source of this myth comes from Dr. Wakefield who had his medical license revoked after this statement. Since then, every year, a vigil is done in every country regarding the vaccines administered. In fact, you should know that all health professionals are obliged to report any side effects that may be related to the vaccines administered. In Canada, Health Canada collects this data and reports it several times a year. At the global level, studies gather data from several countries and, every year, they show us that there is no credible link between autism and vaccines. As an example, I am linking to a review by the independent Cochrane Group of over 1 million children who received the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine published in 2020:

Some parents of autistic children will say that vaccines created their child's autism. With all the propaganda on the internet as well, I think anyone would have the same doubt. However, autism is a very complex disease and the reality is that we don't know its exact cause. At the moment, we believe that autism is caused by genetic and environmental factors. Since symptoms can appear at a very young age, the age when children start receiving vaccines, it is easy to see vaccines as a "scapegoat". Our brains are always trying to find a cause for everything, even in the unknown. However, this reasoning is not supported by any scientific evidence.

Concerning mercury and aluminum, it is true that some vaccines may have small amounts of certain minerals as preservatives or stabilizers. However, they have never been proven to be problematic at the doses contained in the vaccines. In addition, it is important to know that these same metals are found in the environment and in your child's food, and in greater quantities than in the vaccines he or she receives once in a while. In fact, even though the pharmaceutical industry is not always transparent, the quality control and verification done by the Canadian authorities is much stricter for these products than for food.

It is true that vaccines have side effects just like drugs. Indeed, rare side effects are sometimes reported, such as convulsions (2-3 cases out of 10,000) or Guillain-Barré syndrome (1 case out of 1 million). As with everything, there is always a balance between the benefits and possible side effects. However, for vaccines, we consider that the benefits far outweigh the risks. This is why we, as a community, have decided to make them mostly reimbursed by the government

As a pharmacist, I often have the impression that the more we insist on the importance of vaccination, the more fearful parents are. However, it is important to remember that some diseases that are almost extinct are resurfacing even in Quebec, such as the measles outbreak in 2011 and 2015, notably because of the increased number of travelers who bring these diseases back from foreign countries.

We hope to have answered your questions!

Hello,

According to current research, autism is caused by a combination of factors that lead to changes in brain circuits. On the one hand, people with autism carry genes that predispose them to develop the disease

On the other hand, there are certain non-genetic or environmental factors that increase the risk of developing the disease in people who carry the genes. These environmental factors are very broad. They include, for example, factors related to the parents (advanced age of the parents, certain medical conditions related to the mother), pregnancy (taking certain medications, infections), childbirth (complications during childbirth), pollution, etc.

In short, we still have very limited knowledge of the disease, which can be even more stressful for parents. However, we agree that there is no one cause of this disease, but rather a combination of factors. With tons of studies to back it up, vaccines are not one of them. Unfortunately, many of these factors come into play before the child is even born and are beyond our control.

It is true that some studies have shown a link between C-section and autism. However, these studies were designed to show only an association, so they could not show a cause and effect relationship. Thus, C-section does not cause autism. However, children delivered by C-section and mothers who have this type of delivery may have different characteristics than others. Thus, it may be these characteristics that increase the risk of autism.

Again, these are possibilities that are mostly out of our control. It just goes to show how far we still have to go to understand the brain!

We look forward to hearing from you,

Sarah-Yan Chagnon, pharmacist