Are there scientific studies that link vaccines to autism?
In the United Kingdom, the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is implicated by parents as a cause of autism, in part because of the temporal relationship of the two. That is, the first MMR vaccine is administered around 12 to 15 months of age, a typical age for the diagnosis of autism — although there is no evidence to suggest any other connection. In this country, that theory was quickly dropped, and what persists is the idea that vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal cause autism. However, thimerosal was removed from vaccines for children (except some influenza and virus vaccines) in 2001, and the cases of autism continue to increase instead of decrease.
