Vaccinations...

[perfectishmum]

Firstly I'd just like to say that I am a GP (with five children, one on the way!) and DH is a paediatric nurse have read alot of anti-vaccination view on this forum, just had to throw my two cents in!
Firstly health care professionals are not out to make a profit off vaccinations, we would have a perfectly good living without them.
Secondly ANY link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been completely disproven and Wakefield has been struck off (as of last week).
Finally anaphylaxis can be promptly treated provided you stay in the surgery/hospital for the recommended time following the jabs (the same thing can't be said for peanuts, which can cause the same reaction!)

All of my children have been vaccinated and the next will be too. Vaccinations protect against horrible illnesses and may it be noted that the risk of seizures with measles is far higher than that of any vaccination.

Autism is not one disorder. I know I have said this until I am blue in the face but it never seems to be understood.

Asperger's is certainly highly heritable - and the broader autism phenotype is seen in many families - here autism appears to be the result of the effect of many genes.

This is nothing like the group described by Wakefield.

Lots of research in the states looking at immune disorders and autism - or rather subgrouops of autism. Interesting in my family who don't gave a single case of autism or broader autism phenotype in the huge extended family (I have 23 first cousins - there's been lots of chances for it to reveal itself). We do however, have many cases of immune and autoimmune conditions.

This isn't surprising for many researchers in the States. I attended IMFAR when it was in London. Many researchers discussed immunity and autism, quite a few included vaccinations as playing a potential role in their various models.

And please cease with the patronising 'blame' stuff (head cocked to one side I'm guessing as we talk about this 'tragic' disorder).

I'm 10 years post diagnosis with a severely autistic child. I don't do blame - we concentrate on ds1 having a good life - and mostly these days he does. Anyway in ds1's case his regression is recorded in his red book, has been confirmed in writing by paeds and neuros and it's generally accepted that a herpes infection (possibly in combination with other factors - yes potentially including genetic predispositions) triggered the regression.

We do know we're not a multiplex family.

I also know he presents differently from the children I know who regressed post MMR.