The London region's associate medical officer of health says a newly released European study that found no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism confirms what public health officials have known for years.
Dr. Alex Summers believes the study published earlier this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine should once and for all put to rest fears that vaccines cause the developmental disorder.
"We have known for a long time that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism," said Summers. "The original paper that suggested this was false in nature and we have been having to deal with the repercussions of that for many years. It is certainly encouraging to again see this confirmed that there is no link."
Researchers at the Statens Serum Institute studied 657,461 children born in Denmark between 1999 and 2010. Through the decade long study, they found no evidence that the MMR vaccine increased the risk of autism, even in children who were more susceptible to the condition.
The findings are in line with several other previous studies that found no link between vaccines and autism.
The myth surrounding MMR vaccinations began in 1998 when a paper from Andrew Wakefield was published in the medical journal The Lancet. The study was based on just 12 patients and Wakefield later admitted he falsified data. But while the paper has since been discredited, the anti-vaccine movement has gained momentum.
"There are people who have concerns about vaccines for a variety of different reasons and unfortunately studies like the one that happened over 20 years ago that was false can be confusing for people who are bombarded by a whole bunch of information," said Summers. "I understand that people have questions and I understand that we are all trying to do the best for our children and that people want to make sure that things are done right, but when it comes to MMR and autism there is no link. There never has been one."
Summers added that the recent measles outbreak in British Columbia reinforces the need for everyone who can to be vaccinated.
"One of the challenges with measles is that it is highly contagious. It can be spread through the air," said Summers. "If someone who is infected with measles is in a room and then leaves that room, people who come into the room afterwards can still be exposed to the virus. So it is very infectious, easy to transmit, and without adequate vaccination levels in our population, we will get outbreaks."
The London region has a fairly good vaccination rate that has helped to prevent any outbreaks here, according to Summers.
He advises anyone with questions surrounding vaccinations to contact their local health unit or health care provider.
"As the public health people in our jurisdiction we have lots of highly evidence-based information on vaccines, about what they are for, how they work, and why they are safe," said Summers.