Your Child's Health: A Confidence Game?

Even more than questions of curing autism, vaccines and autism remain the hot-button topic sure to incite heated discussion and strong disagreement. No matter how many new studies, or the recent court decisions regarding three families seeking compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP), doubt, suspicion, and disbelief still run rampant about vaccines and how "safe" they are: Whatever a growing body of scientific evidence says, the emotions rule when parents are considering the health of their children and of their young children, at that.

An article in Newsweek comes close to accessing what is fueling fears of a vaccine-autism link. The article is by three scientists who note that, while the "mainstream media applauded the U.S. federal 'vaccine court' 's decision," so much "damage" has been done to public faith in vaccines that scientists, public health agencies, and many more have their work cut out for them. All the science in the world is not, from the looks of it, going to restore parents' confidence in vaccines:

Given the current distrust of government, development and accountability for the plan deserves serious, transparent input, not just by scientists but also by more than token participation of the public. It is that public whose trust has been eroded.

As parents, grandparents and health professionals, we know how immunization has revolutionized child health. But to maintain that progress, we must restore public trust in vaccinations. Ignoring public anxiety about childhood vaccines—and the increase in parents who skip or stretch out immunizations—risks even more serious outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. We need visible leadership from the incoming secretary of HHS, supported by President Obama. The new public-health team must describe clearly the known benefits and risks of vaccines—and take into account safety issues as perceived by the public and scientific community.

The authors acknowledge that it's "public anxiety" that is not being addressed. Scientific studies are not, it seems, the answer to acknowledging or assuaging that anxiety, that fear about something that parents and, indeed, the public, hold most precious: the health and, therefore, the future, of our children.

Here's where I think the discussion needs to shift from science (though, of course, science will always remain a crucial aspect of any discussion of vaccines). I think we need rather to consider what we're so scared about, to the point that there's been so much worry and fervor and even panic about vaccines causing autism.

People have started to talk about a child having measles as preferable to a child having autism and so much energy is being directed to explaining about thimerosal and flu vaccines, all while the Supreme Court is making judgments about what is, it says (but is it?), an "appropriate" education for a child on the autism spectrum, and when everyone knows there isn't enough of anything (housing, jobs, funds) for adults on the autism spectrum.

What amorphous threat to our children do we fear? Why is "autism" one of the forms that "threat" is taking?

Perhaps herein lies the heart of the issue: Something has happened that has indeed eroded national confidence in public health officials, in government, as truly having the best interests of our children (our nation's future) in mind. Now it often seems that warring sides ("traditional" vs. "alternative/biomedical" practitioners) seek to win over parents and the public with claims of certainty and safety, and seek also to instill confidence that children will be taken care of, not "harmed."

One thing that can be done to re-establish this lost confidence is to more consistently offer an honest and a hopeful view of autism, so that autism is not thought equivalent to "dreadful scourge stealing away our children." Autism is so often depicted as the dread epidemic that parents had better protect their young children from, before, like the boogie man, it snatches them away to a life of minimal communication, special education, and lifelong services. These are parts of Jim's and my life, but so is a certain boy, tall (and, yes, healthy; growing like the proverbial weed) and trying to find his own way in the world. And I want to show this boy, my son, how to make his way in this world with faith in himself and faith that the world won't turn on him.

I know that's a task of gargantuan proportions and we'd better get to it. Since we're talking about belief here, rather than constantly referring to study after study and poking holes and holes in others, I say we need to nurture belief and self-confidence in, yes, our children, tomorrow's future----a future that includes all children growing up to be adults, whatever their diagnoses, and with their diagnoses.

The Newsweek article's authors are: Dr. Louis Z. Cooper is professor emeritus of pediatrics at Columbia University and a former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Heidi Larson, an associate research professor at Clark University; and Dr. Samuel L. Katz is the W. C. Davison Professor & chair emeritus of the department of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine.

Image from Games Museum, University of Waterloo.