September 15, 2008 New Study Finds No Link between Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine and Autism While there have been repeated statements and studies denying any proven link between vaccines and the onset of autism in children, belief in a connection continues to concern parents. The March 2008 decision by a federal court to compensate parents who believed their daughter’s autism was brought on by early childhood vaccinations fueled parental fears and reopened the controversy. Over the past decade, the percentage of children who have not received a full set of recommended vaccines has risen, and outbreaks of formerly rare illnesses like measles have increased. A 1998 report hypothesized a link existed between the MMR vaccine and onset of autism because traces of the MMR vaccine were found in stool samples of children with gastrointestinal disorders whose parents reported their autism developed after administration of the MMR vaccine. A new study, composed of 25 children with both autism and gastrointestinal disorders and 13 children with gastrointestinal disorders, replicates the specific tests from the 1998 study and finds there is no evidence to support a link between the MMR vaccination and onset of autism. Report authors note over 23 other epidemiologic studies have failed to find an association between the MMR or any other vaccine and autism. To view a copy of the report, please visit http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003140 For more background on Autism, please see http://www.healthinschools.org/News+Room/InFocus/2005/Issue+2.aspx For more background on the controversy surrounding the March court decision see: http://www.healthinschools.org/News-Room/EJournals/Volume-9/Number-3/The-Continuing-Controversy-over-Autism-and-Vaccines.aspx For more information on the rise of measles outbreak, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5733a1.htm

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