Over the last decade, autism has gone from a rare and misunderstood condition to a disorder that may affect as many as 1.5 million Americans. Without a clear explanation in sight, parents and doctors have worked tirelessly to pinpoint the cause of autism, but the answer remains elusive. Are vaccines the missing link?
Only epidemiological studies are used to dismiss the autism–vaccine connection, and these are not without their flaws. The cited studies using primates and actual mercury dosing reveal real concerns regarding the impact of mercury on the brain. ?
Moreover, a causal relationship between autism and vaccinations can neither be proved nor rejected based on evidence from population-based epidemiological studies - period. Epidemiological studies, by definition, are not designed to prove causality; they can provide only statistical associations. In addition, the IOM admitted that population-based studies would not be able to detect subpopulations that could be genetically more vulnerable to mercury at lower doses. The majority of children without the genetic susceptibility would simply “dilute out” the minority of susceptible children.
All of this, along with the additional toxic threat posed by aluminum-containing vaccines, makes it increasingly apparent that earnest investigation of the link between vaccines and autism should be a top research priority.
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