Of all the things, which have been said during this election campaign, one of the most worrying is how Donald Trump believes that vaccines are directly linked to autism in children. This wasn’t a passing remark either. He has repeatedly taken directly to Twitter and other social media sites claiming that autism is directly related to the vaccination program and the size of the vaccinations children receive.

Despite this, he isn’t totally against vaccinations. It is important to remember that there have been no studies done that can directly link autism and vaccinations together. There was a study done by Andrew Wakefield in 1998, but no one could replicate the results. It’s also important to remember that many people who co-authored the study later pulled out after he was investigatedby the British General Medical Council. They found that he acted dishonestly and irresponsibly, conducting unnecessary medical procedures and manipulated the results.

Even though Wakefield was eventually stripped of his credentials and removed from the medical roll, the damage had already been done. People around the world continue to believe that vaccinations cause illnesses in children. This belief has gained popularity around the world, with as many as one in ten people believing that vaccinations do more harm than good.

The way our children receive vaccinations, when and how often, has been established by medical professionals as the best way to prevent a variety of illnesses. The schedule is based off a child’s developmental stage in life, with vaccinations set for the perfect times to achieve maximum results as a child develops. Vaccinations are an important part of preventing outbreaks of diseases around the world. Polio, whooping cough, and measles are all diseases that were almost eradicated because of vaccinations but have recently been taking hold again due to anti-vaccination fears.