SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
Kids' Vaccinations Face Risky Resistance
from the Chicago Tribune (Registration Required)
Angela O'Connell will not allow her 15-month-old son to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella because she is certain the vaccination caused autism in her older boy, Aidan.
"The little boy that would stare into your eyes and laugh when you played with him turned into a boy that wouldn't even respond when you called his name," the Minooka mother said.
Over and over, careful scientific research has found no link between vaccinations and autism. Experts note that autism tends to emerge at the same age children receive their shots, leading to a false sense of cause and effect. But stories such as O'Connell's are so powerful, and so easily spread online, that pediatricians say they are spending unprecedented time answering questions about vaccinations, from mercury fears to concerns over the increasingly intense schedule of shots.
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