Measles Vaccination Not Associated with Autism

The study, in Archives of Disease in Childhood, examined children aged 10 to 12 years who had previously received the MMR vaccine. Researchers compared 98 children who had autism with 52 who had special educational needs but no autism and 90 who were developing normally.

The study found no difference between autism cases and controls in circulating measles virus RNA or measles antibody concentrations. Measles RNA was detected in one child with autism and two developmentally normal controls. The authors say theirs is the third virological case-control study to show no association between the vaccine and autism.

"We hope people can have confidence in the MMR shot again," the lead author told Reuters. "Measles has come back again because people have stopped immunizing their children."