Even More Evidence to Show the Lack of a Vaccine-Autism Link

New research results from the CDC—published yesterday online ahead of publication in the October issue of Pediatrics—offers even more reassurance to worrisome parents that vaccinations do not raise their children’s risk for developing autism.

The study—which looked at relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and/or immunoglobulin preparations and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), autistic disorder, and ASD with regression—found that infants who were exposed to the highest 10% of thimerosal, the mercury-containing preservative used in vaccines since the 1930s, weren’t anymore likely to develop autism than were infants who were exposed to the smallest 10% of thimerosal.

"Prenatal and early life exposure to ethylmercury from thimerosal in vaccines or immunoglobulin products does not increase a child's risk of developing autism," confirmed senior author Dr. Frank DeStefano, director, immunization safety office, CDC.

In adding to a February 2009 ruling from a US federal court that no scientific evidence existed linking vaccines with autism, the current study had researched examining medical records and interviewing mothers of 256 children with ASD and 752 children matched by birth year who did not have ASD, all of whom were members of three HMOs in California and Massachusetts.

For More information:

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more on thimerosal.
• Check out a long, but fun and spot-on, piece from blogger Orac at Respectful Insolence
• Read the article published in Pediatrics, “Prenatal and Infant Exposure to Thimerosal From Vaccines and Immunoglobulins and Risk of Autism