MMR Vaccine and Autism

The question about a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism continues to be a major controversy within the autism community. The majority of the traditional medical community argues that no connection exists. Yet a significant number of autism experts and parents believe in a possible connection. How did the MMR vaccine debate begin and does the vaccine have a possible connection to autism?

Read more about vaccines and autism

MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Each of these diseases has the potential to be disabling or fatal. Since 1971, the MMR vaccine has been a part of the standard childhood vaccinations in the USA. After the introduction of the MMR vaccine, the incidence of measles declined by 99 percent in the USA.

Autism communities all over the world took notice when Dr. Andrew Wakefield, published a study of children afflicted with both autism and gastrointestinal problems in The Lancet, a British medical journal. Wakefield's study found that some children with autism also have a specific type of gastrointestinal ailment. Wakefield's study suggested the following:

• The combination of the three viruses in the vaccine could negatively affect a child's immune system. An unidentified substance in the vaccine may have a toxic effect on some children.
• The viruses in the shot may lead to a chronic infection in the gastrointestinal system.
• The impact of the viruses in the vaccine, the lowered immune system and chronic infection in the gastrointestinal tract could eventually lead to brain damage and cause autism.

The study was highly controversial because it called into question the safety of one of the world's most effective vaccines against three major diseases. The autism community was divided. A number of experts and families of children with autism all over the world reviewed the study and found it a plausible possible cause. Yet, the validity of Wakefield's study was soon challenged by other members of the medical community. Wakefield's detractors dismissed the study as flawed for the following reasons:

• Inaccurate Data: According to a London Times article, a significant portion of the data in the study did not match hospital records.
• Pre-existing Health Issues: A number of children had gastrointestinal problems before receiving the MMR vaccine.
• Small study: The study involved 12 children. Critics argue that such a small study cannot render accurate results for the larger population.

The UK's General Medical Council, which provides British medical licenses and safeguards medical ethics, is investigating the inaccurate data charges against Wakefield and a number of his colleagues who were involved in the study. Wakefield, who continues his research at Thoughtful House, stands by his study.

Despite the many questions about the study that originally suggested the MMR vaccine as a possible cause of autism, families all over the world reacted by vaccinating their children less. As a result, the measles rate has increased in both the UK and USA.

A number of families with autistic children believed the study and claimed that their previously healthy children became ill immediately after receiving the vaccine and eventually developed autism. Skeptics argued that the development of autism after receiving the vaccine was coincidental because the disease typically manifests during toddler years. A number of autism experts agreed with the study and called for more research. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and medical research groups conducted a number of studies looking for possible connections between the vaccine and autism.

Many different studies have addressed possible connections between vaccines and autism. A number of key studies examined the MMR vaccine.

A University of Michigan study found that exposure to the measles virus could interfere with the proper development of myelin, a protein found in the area that protects the nerve fibers in the brain. When myelin fails to develop properly, the nerve fibers do not work correctly and brain abnormalities such as autism symptoms may occur.

The CDC and the Danish Medical Council studied more than 500,000 children over a seven year period and found no evidence that the MMR vaccine affects the development of autism.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the CDC studied 351 children with autism and 31 children without autism who all received the MMR vaccine. The study did not find evidence of any connection between autism and the vaccine.

A 2008 study that was published in the Public Library of Science investigated the results of an earlier study that linked the MMR vaccine with autism. The study discredited the earlier study and could not find a link between the vaccine and autism.

Autism research organizations such as the Autism Research Institute have conducted research that suggests that a significant group of people with autism have gastrointestinal disorders and weak immune systems. These groups question whether people with weaker immune systems are more susceptible to a bad reaction to live-virus vaccines and if the reaction could trigger autism.

• ThinkTwice Global Vaccine Institute features a list of documents linking autism with vaccines.

After significant studies supporting the safety of the MMR vaccine, the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute of Medicine have concluded that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

A 2009 court ruling strengthened the medical position. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims Office of the Special Masters found that the MMR vaccine did not cause autism in three test cases that affected more than 5,000 families.

The current research will reassure many parents about the MMR vaccine's safety. However, the significant number of families and experts who believe in a connection between the vaccine and specific cases of autism are still demanding answers. Clearly, more research is necessary to provide a conclusive answer.

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