A new MUHC study provides conclusive evidence
that the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine is not associated with the
development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The study, published in
the scientific journal Pediatrics, also reveals fundamental errors in
previous molecular studies that falsely implicated the MMR vaccine as a
risk factor for autism.
"The hypothesis linking the MMR vaccine to autism was originally supported
by studies that found the measles virus persisting in certain biological
tissues of children with autism who had received the MMR vaccination," says
Dr. Eric Fombonne, Director of Pediatric Psychiatry at the Montreal
Children's Hospital of the MUHC and a principal investigator in the new
study. "Using enhanced techniques we have shown that in fact the measles
virus did not persist in the biological tissues of these children." The new
study uncovers errors in the techniques used in the earlier studies, which
led to the false identification of the measles virus. "There is no
association between the MMR vaccine and autism as demonstrated by all
controlled epidemiological studies carried out up to now in human
populations," noted Dr. Fombonne.
"The reluctance of parents to inoculate their children due to widespread
fear of the MMR vaccine generated by these earlier studies resulted in
measles outbreaks and the deaths of several young children in Europe," says
Dr. Brian Ward, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the MUHC,
Associate Director of the McGill Center for Tropical Diseases and a
principal researcher in the study. "We hope that our investigation of these
earlier studies will not only clear the MMR vaccine of its link to autism
but also give parents confidence in their choice to vaccinate their
children against this dangerous and potentially fatal disease."
The biological evidence from this new MUHC study correlates with the
epidemiological evidence from another previous MUHC study that also proves
that the MMR vaccine has no link to autism. The previous study, led by Dr.
Fombonne, was published in the July 5 issue of Pediatrics. All
epidemiological studies conducted have found no association between the MMR
vaccine and autism.
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This study was funded by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada and
the Fonds de Recherche en Sante du Quebec.
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Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) is
a world-renowned biomedical and health-care hospital research centre.
Located in Montreal, Quebec, the institute is the research arm of the MUHC,
a university health center affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at
McGill University. The institute supports over 500 researchers, nearly 1000
graduate and post-doctoral students and operates more than 300 laboratories
devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental and clinical research. The
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The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic
health institution with an international reputation for excellence in
clinical programs, research and teaching. The MUHC is a merger of five
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Building on the tradition of medical leadership of the founding hospitals,
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knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of
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