*Update: This satirical/hoax article was picked up and spread by the anti-vaccine cult. A classic example of people believing something because they want it to be true. Mission accomplished.
A recent survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that nearly 15% of its members did not fully adhere to the suggested vaccine schedule, with nearly 10% of respondents reporting that they chose not to vaccinate their children at all. The study will be published next month in the journal Pediatrics. Most pediatricians responded that a fear of autism was the biggest reason they refused to vaccinate their children.
“These numbers surprised even us,” said the lead author of the study, Dr. Brent Langland, a pediatrician at Yale University. “Many pediatricians reported fears that they would be alienated, or even fired from their position if their personal stance was to become known.”
One respondent, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Spudd:
“I have seen too many kids develop autism right after getting their vaccines. I know what the studies say, and I know what my experience says. I just don’t want to risk it for my own children.”
The hypothesis that vaccines might cause autism started in 1998 when Dr. Andrew Wakefield wrote a paper (co-authored by 12 other scientists) on a dozen children with autistic spectrum disorders who had been admitted for bowel problems. According to the paper, eight of the children developed both irritable bowel syndrome and behavioral regression within 14 days of receiving the MMR shot. This suggested a link between the vaccination and the regression. Although he never specifically claimed that MMR caused autism in these cases, he did campaign for the triple-dose to be discontinued until it could be further studied.
Though this study was eventually retracted, Dr. Wakefield never abandoned his belief and the idea that vaccines caused autism took hold in the public mind. Though subsequent studies failed to find a link between vaccines and autism, more recent events have suggested that these studies were largely fraudulent, with data being suppressed by vested interests. In particular, concern arose about a 2003 study conducted by the CDC, where data showing that vaccines caused autism in African-American boys was suppressed.
“I think we will find that more and more pediatricians will refuse vaccines for their own children as older studies are reanalyzed and omitted data included,” said Dr. Langland. “As always, the risks of vaccines will have to be balanced with the benefits. I just think we are beginning to realize what the risks are. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
