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MMR and autism: is there really a link?

There’s been a rumour that the MMR vaccine is linked to a higher risk for autism in children. The rumour started in 1998, when a British medical journal called the Lancet, published a study that suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and the serious developmental disorder known as autism.

However, the results of that study were flawed, and it’s since been proven incorrect and retracted by the publication itself. In fact, it published a follow up to its original story, that proves that there’s no link between a child receiving the MMR vaccine, and whether they will be autistic.

Experts suspect that autism may be at least partly genetic, and as such, there’s no way that a vaccine, which is essentially a virus or disease, could possibly trigger it. Then there was the rumour that it was thimerosal, an ingredient in some MMR vaccines, that caused the increased risk for autism, but that’s also been disproven.

It’s safe to say that having your child vaccinated with the MMR vaccine does not increase their risk of autism, and that it will only be beneficial to your child’s health to do so.

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