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The alleged vaccine-autism connection disproved (again)
There's still a debate, and we are failing to learn the lessons
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By Peter Clark (Senior Editor, Autism Info Center) Thursday 25th September 2025 |
According to a recent study, and despite overwhelming scientific consensus, the debunked theory linking vaccines to autism continues to fuel vaccine hesitancy, contributing to a dangerous resurgence of preventable diseases.
Recent measles outbreaks in the UK and US correlate with declining immunisation rates, with coverage in some areas falling far below the 95% threshold for herd immunity.
This public health crisis is largely driven by misinformation originating from a fraudulent and retracted 1998 paper.
To provide a definitive modern synthesis, a new meta-analysis systematically reviewed 12 high-quality studies involving over two million children across several continents.
The findings unequivocally reaffirm that there is no statistical link between autism and any vaccine-related exposure, including the MMR vaccine or the preservative thimerosal.
The combined odds ratio was 0.96, confirming no increased risk.
The authors argue that continuing to entertain this disproven hypothesis legitimises misinformation, diverts critical resources from genuine neurodevelopmental research, and ultimately undermines global public health efforts by allowing diseases like measles to return, which still claim over 136,000 lives annually worldwide.
Source: Autism (UK)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13623613251345281
Further reading, listening and viewing...
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