New study discounts possibility of MMR vaccine/autism link

A major new study has provided further evidence that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine cannot be associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Involving 95,727 children, the research – published in the Journal of the American Medical Association – also examined 1,929 individuals with an older sibling with autism, putting them at greater risk of developing the condition themselves.

Analysis of the data indicated that MMR vaccine receipt was not associated with an increased risk of autism at any age.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr Bryan King of the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital said: "The only conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that there is no signal to suggest a relationship between MMR and the development of autism in children with or without a sibling who has autism."

Although a substantial body of research over the last 15 years has found no link between the MMR vaccine and ASD, parents and others continue to associate the two, due to erroneous reports to this effect in the past.

Among the most prominent sources of misinformation was a 1998 study produced by the former surgeon and medical researcher Andrew Wakefield, which was subsequently deemed fraudulent and completely discredited.