Are vaccines making your child mentally ill?

Autistic Spectrum Disorder was a little-known disease a few decades ago, affecting only a minute percentage of the global population. Today, its incidence in countries such as Kenya is sharply rising with each consecutive year.

What causes autism? Ask any doctor and they will give you the standard answer: “Autism has no known cause and no known cure.” One controversy that refuses to go away, though, is the reported link between autism and the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine.

Thousands of parents whose children live with autism often speak of a direct link between the MMR vaccine and their child’s condition.

One of these parents, Ruth Gasson, teaches children with special needs at a private school in Nairobi. “My son was developing normally until we took him for his MMR vaccination at 18 months,” she says. “Immediately afterwards, he regressed developmentally and stopped speaking. He is now 12 years old.” With her second born, Ruth waited until he was older before he got the vaccine; he developed Attention Deficit Disorder, a chronic neurological imbalance that is reportedly also linked to the MMR vaccine.

Ruth is not alone in believing that her child was fine until he got that vaccine. Another parent, Maina Gatheru, shares his experience: “My son, who lives with autism, is 12 years old. His sister is eight. From personal experience, I believe there is a link, the reason I never allowed my second born to have the MMR vaccination.

My son was given over 10 vaccinations and their boosters, against this and that disease, and developed autism thereafter. I believe that (the vaccines) could have been a contributing factor, if not the main cause of his autism. My daughter only got the ones recommended by the government and MMR is not among them.”

According to the research paper Autism in Kenya and its Prevalence, 4 per cent of Kenyans now live with autism, which translates to over 1.6 million people, most of them youths and young children. Although diagnostic methods have improved over time, the statistics indicate a sharp rise in the prevalence of the condition especially in the past two decades.

The MMR vaccine entered the market in 1991. Ruth Gasson makes the connection: “(Autism) has definitely increased in recent years and from my personal experience, I suspect the (MMR) jab had something to do with it.”

The controversial ingredient in the MMR vaccine is a preservative called thiomersal (also known as thimerosal). Thiomersal is an antiseptic and anti-fungal agent that just happens to be composed of 49 per cent mercury – a highly toxic ingredient even in the smallest parts (see sidebar). It is also only used in the combined version of this jab.

Thiomersal is so controversial that several governments in First World countries have already taken action against its use. The Australian Ministry of Health recently removed the combined MMR jab from its government-funded schedule, stating that its risks may not justify making it compulsory.

It was banned in Russia 20 years ago. Japan also stopped using the combined MMR vaccine 10 years ago. It was banned after 1.8 million children had been given two types of MMR and a record number developed non-viral meningitis and other adverse reactions.

Government health chiefs there stated that a four-year experiment with it has had serious financial and human costs. Doctors in these countries give babies the individual vaccines for these diseases rather than the combined one.
Metal toxicity
Mr. John Onala, specialist in special needs, studied a sample group of 75 children with autism. After testing their urine and saliva over time, he found indications that they had been subjected to high levels of metal toxicity, which is linked with hyperactivity, lack of attention, behavioural issues and most systems of autism.

However, Mr. Onala is hesitant to attribute the cause of autism to the MMR vaccine because, he says, objective research indicates that it may be more of a catalyst in aggravating the condition in children who may have been genetically predisposed. Either way, the universal presence of heavy metals in children with autism gives food for thought.

N. Kamau, a mother of a 13-year-old boy with autism, recalls that he was developing normally, making eye contact, babbling and playing until he experienced severe difficulties following his MMR vaccine. “He had issues with the jab. He developed a very high fever for three days and was admitted to hospital during that time. When he recovered, he became very withdrawn. I thought he would go back to normal but he never regained his speech. When he was two years old, I researched (his condition) and found out that he was autistic. After seeing what happened to him, I made sure my daughter did not get the MMR vaccine.”

She has some advice for parents of young children: “Ask yourself why Government hospitals do not give MMR, only private clinics do. There are two different schedules – one for Government and one for private clinics. I refused to let my daughter have these boosters and other vaccines touted by the private clinics. I would advise parents to go for the ones recommended by the Government. I would not take anyone for the MMR vaccine.”
Dr G.S.N Wanene, a professor who runs a busy clinic in Kikuyu town, has penned two books in which he states the damaging effects of vaccines. “Vaccines are presented as something good. But there are always side-effects.

So something good can actually contain something very bad,” he says. Given that vaccines are designed to introduce the virus to the body in order to help it build its immune response to it, this is not unusual.

Dr Wanene advises his patients that vaccinations should be given to adults or older children whose bodies are better equipped to fight off any potential negative effects. One of his patients, Mr Dennis Thitu, explains why he has chosen to wait until later to vaccinate his child.

“At infancy, a newborn’s immune system is still very immature because the thymus is not fully formed. At this stage I believe a vaccine will not do any good. I waited until my son was three years of age to begin the Government vaccination schedule and today he is a very strong five-year-old boy. He does not even catch flu from his classmates or any of those kinds of things.” Other parents opt for a staggered or selective vaccination schedule in view of the risks.

What alternatives are there for those who choose to focus on vaccine safety first and not risk compromising their child’s long-term health? Elena Pavlova, a mother who is raising her kids in Nairobi, says, “We read a lot and decided not to vaccinate our kids using chemical drugs. We found that there are natural alternative therapies that provide immunity such as homeopathic remedies readily available here in Kenya. We also focus on keeping their immunity high and so far, they are very healthy.” Other parents have chosen to negotiate a staggered vaccination schedule with their pediatrician where they opt out of some vaccines and only do others.

Whatever choice you make as a parent, make sure it is an informed decision.

Resources

Robert F.Kennedy Jr documentary Deadly Immunity

Dr J.S Wanene book The ABC of Globalization of Africa, From Black to White

Dr Joseph Mercola links to 28 research papers on vaccinations, www.mercola.com

Documentary The Greater Good www.greatergoodmovie.org

National vaccine information center www.nvic.org

Autism Society of Kenya