The Vaccine Court Omnibus proceeding has ruled against three families that claimed a connection between their children's unfortunate development of autism, thimerosal and the MMR vaccine (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella). Two Institute of Medicine Reports dated 2001 and 2004 found no link between the three. What does more recent research on autism and vaccines say?
The most recent research on the link conducted at Columbia University by Dr. Mady Hornig published in October 2008 looked at bowel tissue in 25 autistic children and 13 control children to see if measles, mumps and rubella viral cells were present. All of the children had GI tract problems and all had been vaccinated. A 2002 study found traces of the measles virus in the bowel tissue of autistic children. The 2002 study hypothesized that the live virus from MMR would grow in the intestinal tract and cause damage there, and possibly inflame and damage the central nervous system as well, causing autism. If this was true, then all the autistic children should have measles in their bowels in the 2008 study as well, and the non-autistic kids should not.
The researchers found no signficiant differences in the biopsies from autistic children and non-autistic children. Only one autistic child had measles remnants in the bowel, as did one non-autistic child.
The conclusion: having the measles virus in your body doesn't have any correlation to developing autism, even if you have GI problems.
REFERENCE: Splete, Heidi. Biopsy data refute MMR vaccine and autism link.(Infectious Diseases).
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