Now Will You Agree That Vaccines Cause Autism?

Posting Date: 07/12/2000

Original Broadcast date: April 7, 2000

Kari: My 12-year-old daughter is autistic. She has very delayed language and speech. We still don't always understand everything she says. She leads a frustrating life.

I know you don't believe there is a link between autism and vaccines, but I saw a program on television that brought up some really interesting points about autism and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

They showed slides of autistic children's cells with these measles virus type things -- little black spidery-looking things -- in the cells of their intestines. The children who were not autistic did not have this.

Don't you think this is significant?

Dr. Dean: Except that those may not be measles particles. The interpretation of histological slides is not at all as straightforward as a TV program makes it look. They are very hard to understand.

My disagreement about the idea that there is a link between autism and vaccines is beyond my opinion. It is based on the fact that research on this very important subject repeatedly finds no conclusive evidence of a connection. It is based on the fact that the MMR vaccine saves countless lives, and yet people allow fears, maybes, and television shows to drive their decisions about their children's healthcare.

Investigating the cause of cell differences between autistic and non-autistic children is very significant, but let me tell you that based on science the vaccine theory is way down the list of suspects. What's at the top of the list of conditions that may be related to autism is genetic theory and the intrauterine theory.

As we turn over stones to discover the secrets beneath them, if we find clues that vaccines might hold some answers, we will certainly look at them. However, when responsible scientists tell us, "we've checked that rock and there's nothing there," we have to be willing to move on.

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