Cases of autism have been on the rise in the United States in recent years.  Experts are not sure whether the reason is better diagnosis and reporting of the disorder, or whether there is something environmental causing the increase in cases.  But reputable experts all agree on one point: vaccines and immunizations do not cause autism and have nothing to do with the rise in autism.

Reputable Studies Show  Vaccines Safe

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2004 released a new report on vaccines and autism. The IOM is a private, nonprofit organization that provides scientific advice to the government.  It is made up of experts from pediatrics, neurology, infectious diseases and other medical specialties.  Their report found that vaccines are not associated with autism, whether or not they contain thimerosal -- a form of mercury preservative that has caused concern among some parents of autistic children.  The IOM reached these conclusions after carefully reviewing dozens of studies, including one involving almost a half-million children in Denmark, another involving more than 100,000 American children, and yet another involving about 100,000 British children. 

Fear Versus Facts

People who claim that vaccines cause autism often mention a study done by British researcher Andrew Wakefield.  In 1998, Wakefield published a small study in the Lancet, involving less than a dozen children, suggesting that the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine was linked to inflammatory bowel disease or autism. The study was later found to have significant problems, and his co-authors later disavowed its findings.  No other reputable or large-scale studies have supported his alleged link between the MMR vaccine and inflammatory bowel disease or autism.