letter to autism speaks

Dear Autism Speaks,
My name is Chelsea Fisher and I am a student at Eckerd College. I respect everything that your organization is doing for autism which is becoming a bigger concern every day. I have a close friend who was diagnosed with aspergers, and I am very concerned with the increasing numbers of children diagnosed with autism. Being a young woman who one day plans on having children it worries me that the “epidemic” as some are calling it may be related to vaccines.
The posting you have on the concern regarding vaccinations is reasonably informative and helpful, but there are people who have no understanding of the topic. These people may turn to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for their information, which as I’m sure you know is not a very informative site regarding this topic. The CDC has said “because signs of autism may appear around the same time children receive the MMR vaccine some parents may worry that the vaccine causes autism” and They also say that a study done in 1998 that led people to believe the vaccine was causing the disorder was very small and not comprehensive enough, it also states that many of the doctors involves in the study are now saying that it is not the cause. Since then larger studies have taken place in which “the percentage of children with autism who received MMR vaccine was the same as the number of unaffected children in the region who received the MMR vaccine.” The bullets end with the statement “Groups of experts say there is not relationship between MMR and the influx in Autism” This website for an uninformed parent makes it seem like the relationship between autism and vaccinations is non-existent and they should not worry.
I think that it is up to organizations like you to make sure that you have a comprehensive page regarding this issue. Research institutions like Columbia and Yale have done studies on the topic and have been unable to find answers, but have found enough evidence that more research needs to be done. Now one out of every one hundred and fifty children is diagnosed with autism which is an astounding increase. Also people should know that the government and the CDC are afraid that if people do find out that these vaccinations are causing autism it will cause people to stop giving their children any vaccinations, which would create an even larger problem. If people are informed about which vaccinations are speculated of being the problem, they can talk it over with their pediatricians.
I am very proud of everything you are doing for the cause, but I think that the page regarding vaccinations could be more informative. The fact that you are relaying the information at all is a very important step. Thank you for reading about my concerns as a young woman and student who wishes more people were informed on this topic. I would love to hear back from you if I have said anything you do or do not agree with.
Sincerely,
Chelsea