More evidence preservative, autism not linked

Childhood diseases like measels and chickenpox that Baby Boomers' parents accepted as normal have become almost unknown, thanks to routine vaccinations.

Shots for diptheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella are as routine as filling out baby books.

But an increase in the number of children with autism over the years has created concern that the disorder is related to childhood vaccinations, specifically a mercury-based chemical once used as a preservative.

A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that the preservative, no longer used, put children at no greater risk of autism.

Italian health officials unwittingly set up the study, administering two different levels of thimerosal to thousands of healthy babies receiving whooping cough vaccines.

Ten years later, 1,402 of those children took a battery of brain function tests, and the results showed small differences in only two of 24 measurements. Those were so slight that they might be a result of chance, according to the study.

Only one case of autism was found among the study's subjects, and that was among the group which received the lower level of the mercury-based preservative.

Certainly parents are wise not to blindly accept vaccinations without becoming educated consumers.

But unless the majority of children receive routine vaccination for the major communicable diseases, those diseases will become common again. Some authorities have even resorted to quarantines in areas where vaccines are avoided or neglected.

When it comes to routine childhood vaccinations, contact your local health department or health care providers and follow their recommendations.