Is there a link between autism and vaccines? Renowned doctor explains

Time and again, vicious propaganda is unleashed to put the spotlight on the potential links between vaccines and autism, sparking a series of debates on the issue on social and other platforms. Many would be endorsing the hypothesis that vaccines can cause autism, and others vehemently oppose it. And this war of words had been going on for many years. Recently, many reports relating to the connection between vaccines and autism have popped up in the media. In a bid to clear the air, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, in a chat with ‘Onmanorama’, is debunking the myths on the matter. 

Factors aplenty 
Tuberculosis bacteria cause tuberculosis, and the COVID-19 virus is the culprit behind COVID, but what’s the root cause of a heart attack? It’s difficult to zero in on one reason, but many grave factors in play can trigger heart failure. Likewise, there are multiple factors that cause many other diseases, and it’s a tall order to pinpoint a single factor that causes an ailment. A person may get sick due to a plethora of clear and not-so-evident reasons, as is the case with autism. 

What's the single reason for autism?
There is no single and clear reason for autism. But in the last few years, the medical fraternity has been able to diagnose and treat diseases with great precision. Earlier, children with autism were not given treatment and were tagged as having a lack of brain development. But in-depth research on autism in the past few decades opened a new vista of knowledge about this condition. The research paved the way for diagnosing more children with autism. 

Quite obviously, more children would be diagnosed with autism as the doctors are now more aware of the nuances of this disorder. But unfortunately, the facts had been twisted, and critics from certain quarters point out that autism among children is increasing due to a spike in vaccinations. And some people may have believed this contention. It may be noted that the concerted campaign against vaccination is long-drawn. 

Lancet article did the harm 
A peep into the recent past reveals that Andrew Wakefield, a British doctor, did more harm than good to the scientific community. The Lancet, a world-leading medical journal, published an article by Andrew Wakefield in 1998 in which he stated that the incidence of autism is on the rise due to the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. But the magazine retracted the article after it was proven that the claims were false. This was a blemish for the scientific community.

Though it’s common to carry an article with corrections, it was quite unusual to withdraw an article in toto. Andrew’s piece couldn’t be taken even with a certain degree of tweaking, as it was totally fallacious. 

Unfortunately, the misinformation had spread like wildfire, and many missed the facts. The article published in the number one medical journal had caught the world's imagination, and many believed its contents without a doubt. But the fact that the article's information was wrong and the piece was eventually withdrawn didn’t gain the requisite traction. And this acted as a catalyst for vaccine-haters. 

They rejoiced and gave massive publicity to their assertion that vaccines are associated with autism. And many believed the false statements of vaccine-haters. The sad part is that once a belief sets in, it is pretty challenging to break it, even if the assertion is scientifically proven wrong. For the same reason, many people firmly believe that vaccines cause autism. 

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the scene later, and during the pandemic, these anti-vaccine crusaders were in full throttle and campaigned against the effectiveness of the vaccines to prevent Covid. This false information reached many people through social media, and thousands of people refused to take vaccines, resulting in numerous COVID-19-related deaths. 

This means that there is no connection between autism disorder and vaccines. It was also found that the risk quotient of children who had a greater chance of being diagnosed with autism didn’t increase after vaccination.  The influence of the vaccine-haters who are serving under the US administration is quite evident in the announcements made by the American scientific associations. The false propaganda spread by them is forcing parents to shy away from polio and diphtheria vaccines for their children. And, sadly, the repercussions of these dull-witted decisions would be felt by the common man and could have far-reaching implications on public health.