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No link between autism and MMR

A new claims the strongest evidence that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and the rise in autism.

This study looked at the incidence of autism in a Japanese city before and after the withdrawal of the MMR jab in 1993 and is the first to look at rates of autism after the withdrawal of the vaccine.

Researchers found that the rate of autism continued to rise even after the vaccine was withdrawn.

Professor Michael Rutter, of the Institute of Psychiatry worked on the study and said it "rubbished" the link between MMR and a general rise in autism.

Along with researchers from the Yokohama Rehabilitation Center, the Institute of Psychiatry looked at the incidence of autism spectrum disorders among 31,426 children up to the age of seven born from 1988 to 1996.

They found that there were between 48 cases of autism per 10,000 children born in 1988.The rate was steadily seen to rise to 117.2 per 10,000 for those born in 1996, three years after single vaccines were introduced.

Professor Rutter told the BBC News Website, "If there was a true causal relationship between MMR and autism, one would have expected rates to fall after the vaccine was withdrawn.

"In fact, the rate continued to rise."

He added, "These findings are resoundingly negative in relation to the link between MMR and autism. They rubbish the claim that MMR is having a general effect on the rate of autism."

However, he did agree that the study did not deal with the small number of children who are unusually vulnerable in whom MMR triggers autism, but argued there was no evidence that this was the case.

Jean Golding, Professor of Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology and is based in the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Bristol, is carrying out research into the causes of autism.

She said, "These findings are in line with all of the other research that's been done. I think that this is evidence that there isn't a link."

Stuart Notholt, of the National Autistic Society added, "This new research on the MMR vaccination and autism adds to the body of evidence, most of which would support the hypothesis that there is no link between the MMR vaccination and autism."

And Stephen Rooney, of Sense, the national deafblind and rubella association, said, "Since MMR was introduced, the number of congenital rubella births and the number of rubella-related terminations of pregnancy have both fallen dramatically."

The Department of Health said the research supported its belief that MMR remained the best form of protection against measles, mumps and rubella.

However, autism campaigners said they would want to see more conclusive proof from UK-based studies before being convinced the jab was safe.

Jackie Fletcher of the campaign group Jabs, said, "Instead of relying on research carried out abroad, we would like the government to actually clinically investigate the 1,700 children believed to have been affected by the MMR jab in the UK.

"We've all got the same objective of preventing infectious diseases. But we also want to prevent injury to children too."

 

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