A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has confirmed, yet again, that the MMR vaccine for mumps, measles, and rubella DOES NOT cause autism.
I’ll say it again just in case those in the back didn’t hear me. VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM.
[adsanity id=”35664″ align=”aligncenter”/]The study of 657,461 children, born between 1999 and 2010, was carried out by researchers at the Statens Serum Institut, Denmark. The children were tracked from the age of one until 2013. Over 95% of the children were vaccinated and 6,517 were diagnosed with autism. The study took into account “MMR vaccination, autism diagnoses, other childhood vaccines, sibling history of autism, and autism risk factors” of each participant.
There was no link whatsoever between the MMR vaccine and autism. Even in those considered at risk for autism. None. Nada. Zilch.
The report reads:
In conclusion, our study does not support that MMR vaccination increases the risk for autism, triggers autism in susceptible children, or is associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination.
In fact, the researchers discovered that children who had the MMR vaccine were 7 percent less likely to be autistic than those not vaccinated.
[adsanity id=”35667″ align=”aligncenter”/]Science has spoken. Again.
This is not the first large scale study to look at the MMR vaccine and autism. A previous Danish study of 537,303 children born between 1991 and 1998 was published in 2002. The results?
Zero correlation. The researchers concluded:
There was no association between the age at the time of vaccination, the time since vaccination, or the date of vaccination and the development of autistic disorder.
In case you need help with the math, that’s almost 1.2 million children that have proven autism is not caused by the MMR vaccine. The study which sparked the debate in the first place? Consisted of 12 children.
[adsanity id=”35665″ align=”aligncenter”/]In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues released a report stating that the MMR vaccine triggered autism. Their findings were based on a study of 12 children, 8 of which were diagnosed with regressive development disorders. Wakefield blamed their loss of acquired skills on the MMR vaccine. It’s important to note that some of his research was paid for by lawyers of parents suing vaccine manufacturers. His research was ultimately deemed unethical and was retracted.
But the damage was done. The ripple effect of that now debunked theory is still being felt years later. The anti-vax movement has taken on a life of its own. Anti-vaxxers have increased to the point that the World Health Organization named vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health.
Fear mongering and a growing number of people refusing to vaccinate their children has led to a global rise in measles cases of 30%. According to the CDC, there have been 6 outbreaks of measles so far this year. These occurred in Rockland County, NY, Monroe County, NY, New York City, Washington, Texas and Illinois. There were 17 outbreaks in 2018. The majority of the people who got measles were unvaccinated.
[adsanity id=”35666″ align=”aligncenter”/]A portion of the population will always be unvaccinated. Those with compromised immune systems, allergies, and other health-related issues rely on the rest of us to be vaccinated. Measles requires a 95% vaccination rate in order to prevent outbreaks.
What is so troublesome is that a number of people refusing to vaccinate their children are doing it based on falsehoods and flat out lies. What is it going to take? When will people accept the truth?
Vaccines do not cause autism. They save lives. Maybe even that of your own child.