MMR Not Linked To Autism, Another large-scale study finds no link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism.
The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzed children with older siblings diagnosed with autism, who are exposed to a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) themselves. But even among these high-risk children, they weren’t more likely to develop autism as a result of vaccination.
“We found that there was no harmful association between receipt of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and development of autism spectrum disorder,” Dr. Anjali Jain of The Lewin Group, a health consulting group, who led the study, told NBC News.
The study comes amid persisting rumors that being vaccinated can cause autism, and the researchers suggested that kids with older brothers and sisters with autism were less likely to be vaccinated on time due to such concerns.
“Despite research showing no link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), beliefs that the vaccine causes autism persist, leading to lower vaccination levels. Parents who already have a child with ASD may be especially wary of vaccinations,” write the researchers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one-in-68 U.S. kids has an autism spectrum disorder, although the CDC says these numbers are growing as a result of missed cases from the past.
The Institute of Medicine, a group that independently advises the U.S. government on public health, has strongly urged researchers to quit wasting time looking to connect vaccines to autism, and begin looking elsewhere for causes.
“In this large sample of privately insured children with older siblings, receipt of the MMR vaccine was not associated with increased risk of ASD, regardless of whether older siblings had ASD. These findings indicate no harmful association between MMR vaccine receipt and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD,” concluded the researchers.
“We found that there was no harmful association between receipt of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and development of autism spectrum disorder,” Dr. Anjali Jain of The Lewin Group, a health consulting group, who led the study, told NBC News.
The study comes amid persisting rumors that being vaccinated can cause autism, and the researchers suggested that kids with older brothers and sisters with autism were less likely to be vaccinated on time due to such concerns.
“Despite research showing no link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), beliefs that the vaccine causes autism persist, leading to lower vaccination levels. Parents who already have a child with ASD may be especially wary of vaccinations,” write the researchers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one-in-68 U.S. kids has an autism spectrum disorder, although the CDC says these numbers are growing as a result of missed cases from the past.
The Institute of Medicine, a group that independently advises the U.S. government on public health, has strongly urged researchers to quit wasting time looking to connect vaccines to autism, and begin looking elsewhere for causes.
“In this large sample of privately insured children with older siblings, receipt of the MMR vaccine was not associated with increased risk of ASD, regardless of whether older siblings had ASD. These findings indicate no harmful association between MMR vaccine receipt and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD,” concluded the researchers.
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