The Claim:
A midwestern doctor is claiming proof that aluminum salts used in vaccines cause autism.
The Facts:
Aluminum is used as an adjuvant to boost the immune response, reducing the number of doses needed. Studies have repeatedly shown that the levels of aluminum in vaccines are far below harmful thresholds. The body naturally processes and eliminates small amounts of aluminum found in food, water, and medicines, including vaccines.
A recent study used health data from over 1.2 million children in Denmark, making it one of the largest studies of its kind. The researchers tracked these children for many years and used reliable national health records to look for long-term health problems like asthma, autism, and other chronic illnesses. They carefully adjusted for things like age, sex, and health history to make sure the comparisons were fair. They also ran extra tests and used different ways of looking at the data to double-check their results.
Because of its size, long follow-up, and thorough design, the study gives strong evidence that aluminum in vaccines does not increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as autism, in children.
Not only do the studies done to date show vaccines are not in any way linked to autism, but studies indicate disorganization of the prefrontal cortex in the brains of autistic people. This finding about brains links autism to development that takes place before birth.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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