It's
Official ! - No link between Autism and MMR Vaccine
After
years of speculation and uncertainty among parents, evidence
is now available to conclusively refute the alleged link between
Autism and the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine 
.
Concerns were first
raised after a small-scale study carried out by Dr. Andrew Wakefield
in 1998 suggested a possible link. The link gathered momentum
when it was picked up by the media and gained credibility with
stories of children whose problems appeared to begin after receiving
the vaccine. What many in the media failed to point out is that
the first signs of Autism frequently begin around 15 months
of age which is also the usual time infants receive the MMR
vaccine.
The scare has resulted
in a dramatic drop off in MMR vaccination rates with a consequent
rise in cases of Measles. Some of these infants have suffered
the complications of Measles and a number of deaths have occured
in this country. The new study which disproves the link involves
a review of the vaccination records of 1,294 children with Autism
between 1987 and 2001. These were compared with the records
of 4,469 normal children of the same age and sex. There was
no difference in MMR vaccination rates found. The study which
is published in the Lancet medical journal has been
welcomed by doctors here. It is hoped that this medical myth
can finally be put to bed and that children can be fully protected
from serious infectious diseases such as Measles, Rubella and
Mumps with a better uptake of the MMR vaccine.
When the dust has
finally settled on this saga hopefully an examination will begin
into how a small study with poor methodology gained so much
credibility and caused so much concern and worry for parents
and unneccesary illness in children.
