The Smallpox Vaccine Was the First Autism Shot
Believe it or not, the MMR vaccine was not the first vaccine that people associated with autism.
Remember when Jenny McCarthy was first scaring parents away from getting the so-called autism shot?
“And then the nurse gave my son that shot. And I remember going, “Oh, God, no!” And soon thereafter I noticed a change. The soul was gone from his eyes.”
Jenny McCarthy on Oprah
Of course, she was talking about the MMR vaccine.
Surprisingly though, the MMR vaccine wasn’t the first “autism shot!”
The Smallpox Vaccine Was the First Autism Shot
Believe it or not, some people were blaming the smallpox vaccine as a cause for autism even before Jenny McCarthy was born.
In 1976, a case report was published about a 5 1/2 year old boy who developed the symptoms of autism when he was 16 months old.
“After 3 to 4 weeks of a usually uncomplicated course of the first smallpox vaccination a full picture of the Kanner type syndrome gradually developed.”
[Autistic syndrome (Kanner) and vaccination against smallpox (author’s transl)]
And this occurred about a month after he received a smallpox vaccine, as it was still being given at this time.
He was eventually diagnosed with autism.
The author of the case report even talks about how other case reports had mentioned a vaccine connection before.
“According to reports by the parents first personality changes were noticed in one of the 33 by Bosch publicized children after the first smallpox vaccination at the age of 13 months (the child had become “more difficult”), and after a pertussis at the age of 1 ½ the autistic behavior disturbance worsened (only then had “it become really critical”).”
[Autistic syndrome (Kanner) and vaccination against smallpox (author’s transl)]
Still, he didn’t find a connection between the smallpox vaccine and autism plausible.
“A causal connection, in the sense of being the basis for the autistic syndrome, is by the way because of the performed smallpox vaccination, and, also because of the numerous and careful studies regarding reactions to vaccinations and the possible injuries after smallpox vaccination as well as because of the efforts so far about the etiological explanation of early childhood autism most unlikely.”
[Autistic syndrome (Kanner) and vaccination against smallpox (author’s transl)]
Which makes a lot of sense.
After all, we stopped using the smallpox vaccine in the United States in 1972…
Which Vaccine Is the Autism Shot?
But that should get you thinking, if vaccines are supposed to be associated with autism, which vaccine is it that you are supposed to be concerned about?
Is it the MMR vacccine?
But you know that they don’t use the MMR in Japan and they still have children with autism…
Is it the hepatitis B vaccine?
Again, many countries don’t use the hepatitis B vaccine, and they still have children with autism…
It can’t be thimerosal, right? That was removed from nearly all vaccines except a non-preservative free flu shots nearly 30 years ago!
Is it the aluminum in vaccines? An ingredient that has been in vaccines like DPT since the 1940s and which has never been in MMR, which many people associate with autism?
Of course, it is none of those, because vaccines are not associated with autism.
Not the smallpox vaccine.
Not the DPT or Hib vaccines.
Not the MMR vaccine.
Not the hepatitis B vaccine.
Not the pneumococcal vaccine.
Not the COVID vaccines.
In fact, that anti-vaccine influencers blame so many different vaccines should make you think twice about continuing to believe that there could be an association. After all, these vaccines have different ingredients and different mechanisms of action, so how could they all be associated with autism? Also, don’t forget all of the unvaccinated kids with autism! And the adults with autism who grew up before the supposed start of the autism epidemic.
Oprah Winfrey was no help to public health. She gave a platform to cranks like Jenny McCarthy and provided a platform for Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil.