More Data to Fight Anti-Vax Hysteria

Just as the United States House of Representatives held hearings to explore ways to encourage  more people to get vaccinated against measles—acknowledging that fear over mythical side effects makes a significant impact—a new study in Denmark provides further scientific proof that there is no link between vaccines and autism. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, focused on 657,461 children, some of whom were unvaccinated per their parents’ wishes and some of whom received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine according to prescribed schedules. The rate of autism among vaccinated children was actually lower than it was for children who were unvaccinated during a 10-year follow-up period. The MMR vaccine also didn’t increase the risk for autism in other subgroups of children, including those who have autistic siblings, received other vaccines in early childhood, or were considered to be at high-risk for autism. With incidence of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases on the rise, at least in part due to unfounded fears over vaccinating children, it may be helpful to keep the Danish study in mind. JUCM covered the broader topic of re-emerging, vaccine-preventable viruses in Unexpected Viral Illness in an Urgent Care Setting: The Re-Emergence of Mumps, Measles, and Varicella. Read it here.