...its a bit easier to live with autism than to be crippled by polio!
Oh! Poor form, RSAHD! Best not to compare apples with donkeys. I only know high functioning spectrum people, but I still would never want to be them, or their mum. Then there's the lesser functioning sufferers. No thanks, again. (for a short glimpse of autism, watch a documentary called Horse Boy. It's a father who takes his austistic son to mongolia looking for help/cure/something. It's amazing)

Personally, and I know this is going to be taken harsher than it is intended, I have seen the diseases we're discussing in communities without appropriate vaccination regimes (ie 3rd world countries), and it's horrific. And it's not all down to hygine. Yes, we have better living conditions, clean water, etc. But that is just part of the equation. I like to travel, and I want to take my son (and future babies) on overseas trips. In all good conscience, I couldn't take a kid to asia without the appropriate vaccinations. Just another reason why I vax.