April is Autism Awareness month. One of my relatives has slight autism and I have learned a great deal about the disease from knowing him and his mother. Scientists cannot pinpoint exactly why some children have or develop autism, but one theory is that the thimerosal found in childhood vaccines is a cause. Basically the idea is that children who get too many vaccines within their first few months of life then suffer from mercury or lead poisoning. Thimerosal has been removed from most vaccines, but not all of them. The CDC is doing a lot of research into the potential correlation, but results are still inconclusive. It is a very emotional issue for both the parents and the doctors involved because there remain so many unanwered questions. After having worked on a story for KNBC about the possible link between vaccines and autism, I still don't know what the answer is, but I was glad to help raise awareness about the issue.
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