The notion that vaccines cause autism has triggered heated debate. We have presented both sides of this controversial debate in HealthWatch. But today, we hear from one expert who says not vaccinating is putting kids at risk.
Pediatrician Paul Offit says blaming vaccines for autism only puts children in more danger, "Because not vaccinating them, not, doesn't lessen the risk of autism, it only increases the risk of vaccine preventable disease and it's enough. It's got to stop."
In his new book, "Autism's False Prophets", he looks at the exploitation of the disease and how it's misled families looking desperately for a cure. "I think there's a lot of profiteering and a lot of quackery frankly that surrounds this and these to me are the false profits of autism."
He's already getting feedback from what he calls the silent majority - parents who are getting off the vaccine bandwagon. "These are parents with children with autism who are angry at all the diversion that's come with vaccines that would much rather us focus on the good science that surrounds autism instead of this, this dead-end fruitless hypothesis," says Dr. Offit.
Tina brown agrees. She has two sons on the autism spectrum. Dalton was diagnosed at 15 months. When little brother Dylan came along, the Browns thought they could protect him from the disease by not having him vaccinated. But at four months, the signs were there. "We still have no answers and instead of just focusing on the immunizations we need to look into other things - environmental, genetics, dna profiles, etc.," says Tina.
"There's a lot of very good science out there and you virtually never hear about it because i think those who oppose vaccines have taken the autism story hostage," according to Dr. Offit.
One breakthrough study you may not have heard about suggests a strong genetic component. Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the University of Pennsylvania, found that a mutation in a gene involved in brain cell communication increases the risk for autism.
Gerry schellenberg, ph.D.
"We hope it's the start of finding a lot more genes and getting a better description of what causes autism. The genes give you proteins and we gotta' know those proteins to really understand the disease," says Dr. Gerry Schellenberg.
Dr. Offit is donating all royalties from the sale of his book to autism research.
