Is there any evidence linking measles vaccine or MMR and autism?
A. The currently available evidence does not support a link between MMR and autism. Autism usually is diagnosed in children when they are 18 to 30 months old. This is a period in life shortly after children have received many of the recommended vaccinations. Because of this coincidence, some parents of children with autism believe that an immunization may have caused their child’s condition. A 1998 study in the medical journal Lancet, reported that there may be a link between the measles virus and autism. Subsequent studies in the United Kingdom and in Sweden have been conducted to evaluate whether measles virus or MMR vaccine causes, or in any way contributes to, autism. Both of these studies showed no association between the MMR vaccine and autism. In a thorough review of all the evidence, the Medical Research Council in the United Kingdom found no scientific evidence supporting a relationship between MMR vaccine and autism.
