MMR Vaccination and Autism Unfounded

Commentary

Actress Jenny McCarthy and the rest of the anti-vaccination movement members (AVM) may not like to hear this particular fact: no evidence exists to verify the link between MMR vaccines and autism. In fact, in the minds of many scientists, researchers and special educators, this accusation has been proven wrong and many have moved on to other possible causes. Genetics and environmental factors are being sought as possible causes while the MMR/autism link has been rightfully discarded.

Still, this hasn't deterred the actress, AVM and others who believe faithfully in the MMR/autism link. And as a result, this myth is now causing greater harm than good nearly 30 years after its inception. This is forcing wary parents to not immunize their own children from the real dangers of mumps, measles and rubella.

McCarthy - who has a child with autism (although there’s questions about that) - has been one of the most vocal members of this small (but potent) group. Their aim is to stop the use of childhood vaccinations, believing that it is the culprit that caused autism.

Autism is a disorder in which a child may have difficulties with social situations, verbal or non-verbal communication. In addition, their senses are affected, in particularly tactal skills. Also, those with this condition will have repetitive behavior and narrow obsessive interests.

The Evidence?

The "evidence" for this accusation has never been reproduced or shown to exist in numerous studies. Worst yet, the accusations are based on a flawed study from a particular British doctor, malicious legal interference, and misguided support from people looking for a quick answer to the cause of autism.

The controversy started in 1998, when a stunning report was printed in the British medical journal "The Lancelet." There, the gastroenterologist Dr. David Wakefield M.D. of the Royal Free Hospital of London concluded (after studying “12 highly selected children” with severe bowel disease) that somehow MMR vaccination led to children having autism. How did Dr. Wakefield connect MMR vaccines to autism? It was simple: he used "parental recall."

While parental recall can have some merits, it is not a reliable source of information in such studies. Often, it relies on what the parents remember about the child’s past. It often succumbs to recall bias, which is characterized as a “systemic failure that occurs when study participants do not remember past events or experiences accurately or completely (Catalogue of Bias, 2026).”

And part of the blame can be placed on Wakefield.

According to Wakefield, he turned a study that was not initially about autism and vaccines into just that. On the surface, his study was flawed, considering that:

• The group he studied was small.
• The focus was on children with problems with their bowel movements.
• He based much of his conclusion on what parents told him about their immunization records. And no written record was used.

Still, at a time when the public was learning about autism and were fearing that this affliction was spreading, any news about a possible cause for autism was welcomed, despite the flaws in the procedures and evidence presented.

In addition, it didn’t help matters that this co-called break through was immediately published in a reputable peer reviewed journal (more on that later)

Why Was MMR Targeted?

MMR stands for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. These are three known diseases that can be lethal to children. Often, children are inoculated against this disease through the MMR vaccine during infancy. Up until recently, this was routine and often done for most babies and toddlers.

The vaccine is effective and has proven to cut down the spread of measles. However, due to recent federal regulations started by another known anti-vaxxer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., measles are starting to make a comeback from total eradication. And part of the blame can be placed on Wakefield.

At the same time of Wakefield’s “study,” some researchers in the US, focused on an ingredient in the vaccine known as thimerasol, a mercury-based component used as a preservative. Mercury had been known to cause birth defects and other ailments when ingested in large doses. This only supported Dr. Wakefield's belief he had found the culprit in a common medical tool used to ward off serious childhood diseases.

Another Major Problem

Wakefield had another major problem with his findings; other researchers couldn’t replicate them. Often, such research is proven when others can verify its finding through replication. Often, this is used through replicating the study to see if they can come to the same conclusion.

Studies in Finland found no evidence of MMR causing autism. In four large studies, researchers compared the risk of autism in children who received vaccines containing thimerosal and those that didn't contain it. The case of autism was the same in both groups. Not only that, it was consistent, clear and reproducible, when other researchers replicated the studies. However, in Denmark, where thimerasol was banned in 1991, the country saw an increase in cases of autism.

Another fact that led to the demise of the MMR vaccine/autism link is the nature of mercury. Mercury exists naturally in low levels in water, infant formula and breast milk. In fact, a baby can get twice the dosage of mercury from breast milk than from MMR vaccines containing thimerasol.

Also, thimerasol is a type of mercury called ethymercury which breaks down easily and will not accumulate in the body. Mercury is dangerous in the body when it is ingested in large doses. Still, the characteristics of mercury poisoning are not the same as that of autism.

What Other Studies Found?

Finally, other studies are revealing that autism may well be a genetic disorder. Studies have shown that if one twin has autism, there's a 90% chance the other one will have it. Also, other factors can affect a fetus during a critical point of development. In most cases, autism usually is present in a child before the age of one, indicating that they were born with it, well before immunization.

No one to this day has been able to replicate his findings. And the reason, despite its obvious flaw may have to do with intentions that Wakefield had for it. And this intention turns his study into something akin to a hoax.

Ulterior Motives

British reporter Brian Deer revealed that Wakefield was looking for a patent for an alternative vaccine for measles that would have been a potential competitor with MMR a year before the "Lancelet" article. Later, it was also revealed that the doctor had been paid 400,000 British pounds by lawyers trying to prove that the vaccine was unsafe. This was part of a failed lawsuit against MMR vaccine manufacturers.

Autism is the current fear parents have. However, mumps, measles and rubella actually kill the child.

With Wakefield's study in question - as well as his character - the MMR vaccine/autism link should have gone away, and dismissed as bad science (which it was by the Lancelot. In a rare move they retracted Wakefield's article). Instead, it intensified and spread across the world with the help of websites and celebrities being spokesperson for the anti-vaccination cause. McCarthy is also helped by dozens of websites started by like-minded parents of autistic children who are repeating the mantra that immunization caused it.

Bad Influence of McCarthy

This is where McCarthy's campaign to ban MMR vaccination has surfaced. She has used her celebrity status in this cause to bring attention to her son. As a result of her actions, there have been numerous groups pushing for - and successful in certain areas - to ban immunization of children. In fact, there are many parents opting out of immunizing their children for fear that they will get autism. As a result, countries such as Britain have seen spikes in deaths caused by measles, mumps and rubella. In some areas of Britain and Europe, there have been reports of mini or local epidemics of childhood diseases that could have been prevented through immunization.

Autism is the current fear parents have. However, mumps, measles and rubella actually kill the child. To have the MMR vaccination/autism link proven to be myth should have been met with some relief as well as a renewed faith in immunization. However, this myth still won't go away. How many children have to suffer and die before the masses realize that there's no link between MMR vaccine and autism? I dare not attempt to answer this question.

Work Cited

1. Trever Jackson: "TV programme raises fresh allegations about MMR doctor" PMC Public Medicine Central/National Library of Medicine (Nov. 2004)
2. Catologue of Bias staff: "Recall Bias": University of Oxford (retrieved 2026).
3. Claire Infante-Rivard , Louis Jacques: "Empirical Study of Parental Recall Bias" American Journal of Epidemiology (Sept. 2000).