Vaccines and Autism: Community Education Program Guide

Introduction

Since the 1700s, doctors and medical practitioners have explored the use of vaccines in preventing contagious diseases. Currently, vaccinations have become a staple of modern medicine, existing in many forms — preventing diseases from mumps to Human Papillomavirus. While some have become major proponents of vaccinations, the concept still generates controversy. Many opponents of the practice speak out primarily against childhood vaccination, suggesting that the side effects of the procedure nullify its intentions. While such controversies have always existed, a proposed link between autism and vaccines has thrown the issue into the spotlight.

For this reason, parents who would otherwise have allowed their children to be vaccinated are questioning the procedure and seeking relevant, comprehensive, and unbiased information. In order to best address these parents' concerns about their children's welfare, a public health education program addressing the issue must be implemented. This program, which seeks to educate concerned parents and community members about both sides of the debate, is both relevant and necessary so that parents may make a truly informed decision about their children's health.

History of Vaccinations and the Autism Controversy

Throughout history — and even prehistory — contagious disease wreaked havoc on the world without regard to time or civilization. From Egypt to North America, smallpox wiped out significant portions of entire populations. From the late seventeenth century into the eighteenth century, Dr. Edward Jenner attempted to find a medical solution to the problem. Jenner observed that those who had contracted the disease appeared unable to contract it again. He tested this theory by injecting a young boy with a small amount of cowpox and then exposing the child to smallpox. When the child did not contract the disease, Jenner published his results. The history of vaccination had begun, and smallpox had met its conclusion; a little more than two hundred years later the disease was extinct ("Smallpox Vaccine," 2005).

Four centuries after Jenner's work, vaccinations are common practice in the United States, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for children on a structured schedule. Much as a car seat protects children from the unlikely event of an automobile accident, vaccines protect children from acquiring a variety of contagious diseases ("Life-Cycle of an Immunization Program," n.d.). Regardless of these recommendations, many parents still question the validity and safety of vaccinations based on studies that suggest adverse side effects. The CDC acknowledges that vaccines carry the risk of adverse effects and maintains that there is no way to predict how any individual will react to a given vaccination. For this reason, the CDC recommends that people make an informed decision about vaccinations before choosing to have their children vaccinated ("Vaccine Safety and Adverse Effects," 2007).

While the risks associated with vaccination have been studied and acknowledged for some time, more recent concerns involve proposed links between vaccinations and chronic conditions such as autism and diabetes. Studies on these proposed links have been primarily inconclusive, and some suggest that no link exists at all. For example, a 2001 study published in Pediatrics by the American Academy of Pediatrics found no significant link between vaccinations and Type 1 diabetes (DeStefano et al., 2001). Similarly, a 2002 population-based study of the link between autism and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine found no association between autism and these vaccinations (Madsen et al., 2002).

Regardless of these findings, many parents have had individual experiences that convince them a link between vaccinations and chronic conditions — especially autism — does exist. Widespread coverage of this controversy on the Internet, combined with discussions on widely viewed television programs and the opinions of celebrities who have written books on the subject, have increased public apprehension about vaccinations as potential contributors to autism. Parents have also become increasingly aware of the significant impact autism has on children in the United States. Statistics suggesting that the condition — whose cause remains unknown — affects approximately one in 150 children, or roughly one million Americans, rightly concern parents ("What is Autism: Facts and Stats," n.d.).

While the CDC has acknowledged that adverse effects are occasionally associated with vaccinations, robust scientific evidence connecting vaccines to chronic diseases like autism remains limited. The studies that do exist have largely confirmed the absence of a proven link. Nevertheless, the general public has become concerned — driven largely by celebrity advocacy and media coverage on television talk shows. For this reason, a community forum designed to answer the public's concerns will be well received. Parents who need clear, balanced information about this topic will appreciate a public health program aimed at education about vaccinations.

Program Implementation and Target Audience

Aimed primarily at parents but open to the general public, the community education program will consist of eight separate sessions, each lasting approximately one hour. Sessions will be held in a public venue that encourages openness and comfort for most community members, such as a library or a local YMCA. Each session will follow a set schedule, addressing a pre-approved subtopic each week so that, even in the absence of extended discussion, attendees will still receive an educational lecture. The atmosphere of the sessions will remain open, however, allowing questions and discussion from those who attend.

Presenters at the sessions will include both proponents and opponents of vaccination: medical personnel such as pediatricians and nurse practitioners, researchers and scientists, and practitioners of natural healing. Additionally, presenters will include parents or guardians with positive and negative firsthand experiences with vaccinations. Overall, the program will feature seven individual or panel presenters, culminating in a final session in which all presenters participate in an open group discussion.

Because many presenters will be veterans of academic circles who are well versed in the technical aspects of the topic, program organizers will meet with each presenter before the program launches. These preliminary meetings will address presentation style — specifically how to keep the audience engaged and how to use plain language when presenting and answering questions. The initial meetings will also stress the importance of welcoming questions, encouraging presenters to be open and interactive, both taking questions from audience members and posing questions to them in return.