CDC sees no decrease in autism rates since vaccines are thimerosal-free

November 8, 9:00 PMSanta Cruz Parenting ExaminerSuki Wessling

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Santa Cruz Parenting Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

In 2001, all children getting routine childhood vaccinations in the United States started to receive vaccinations free of thimerosal, the preservative suspected by many anti-vaccine crusaders as being a causal agent in autism.

In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sees no change in rates of autism.

The case, according to experts who have studied the autism-vaccine possibility extensively, is closed. Vaccines are not implicated in the soaring rates of autism recorded in this country starting in the 1980's.

"Since 2001, no new vaccine licensed by FDA for use in children has contained thimerosal as a preservative and all vaccines routinely recommended by CDC for children under six years of age have been thimerosal-free, or contain only trace amounts, except for some formulations of influenza vaccine," states the CDC website. "Unfortunately, we have not seen reductions in the numbers of children identified with autism indicating that the cause of autism is not related to a single exposure such as thimerosal."

Thimerosal is used as an anti-fungal agent in preparations of vaccines that are intended for use as multiple doses. Thimerosal is still present in many seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines because of the necessity of getting large amounts of vaccine quickly to a diverse population.

No thimerosal is present in the nasal spray, "live" version of influenza vaccines.