Updated
Updated · The Independent · Aug 5
Study of 2.5 Million Children Finds No MMR-Autism Link as Measles Hits 35-Year High
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Aug 5

Study of 2.5 Million Children Finds No MMR-Autism Link as Measles Hits 35-Year High

3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 5

Summary

  • More than 2.5 million U.S. children were tracked in a new study that found no association between getting the MMR vaccine before age 2 and later autism diagnosis.
  • The findings add fresh weight to decades of evidence supporting MMR safety at a time when U.S. vaccination rates are slipping and measles cases have climbed to a 35-year high.
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sent mixed signals, publicly promoting MMR while also questioning the scientific consensus that vaccines do not cause autism.
  • The CDC, now under Kennedy's leadership, recently revised a webpage to say studies have not ruled out a vaccine-autism link, despite the discredited 1998 Wakefield paper and extensive contrary research.

Insights

If the MMR vaccine is highly effective, what exactly caused the current measles infections among the small percentage of vaccinated individuals?
With the US facing a severe measles outbreak, what is the true biological trigger for autism if vaccines are definitively ruled out?
Despite massive studies clearing the MMR vaccine, why do highly educated and affluent parents remain the most hesitant to vaccinate?