Study debunks MMR and autism link

The study looked for the measles virus and antibody levels in 240 children and then linked assessment and diagnosis of a child's condition with analysis of blood samples.

It concluded there was no difference between the results from autistic and non-autistic children.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the Health Protection Agency and Manchester University all carried out the research.

The findings come 10 years after an article by Dr Andrew Wakefield published in the medical journal the Lancet questioned the safety of MMR and caused confusion for thousands of parents.

Professor David Salisbury, director of immunisation at the Department of Health, said: ‘It's natural for parents to worry about the health and well-being of their children and I hope that this study will reassure them that there is no evidence linking the MMR vaccine to autism.’

Have your say

You must sign in to make a comment.