MMR vaccine and autism

doi:10.1136/bmj.c655

Published 2 February 2010, doi:10.1136/bmj.c655
Cite this as: BMJ 2010;340:c655

Editorials

MMR vaccine and autism

Health professionals must enter the public arena if future debaclesare to be prevented

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Two and a half years after beginning to hear evidence, the GeneralMedical Council (GMC) has ruled that three researchers actedimproperly in the conduct of their research into a proposednew syndrome of autistic enterocolitis.¹ It is 12 years sincepublication of the study in the Lancet, which has now been retracted,described the research to which the hearing relates.² Subsequentevents have had a major impact on children’s health.

The paper described 12 children with a pervasive developmentaldisorder and bowel disease, which, the authors suggested, wasa new syndrome. In eight of the children, symptoms were reportedto have started soon after receipt of the measles, mumps, andrubella (MMR) vaccine. In their conclusions, they stated, "wedid not prove an association between measles, mumps and rubellavaccine and the syndrome described" and that more research wasneeded. However, at a press conference, one of the . . . [Full text of this article]

Helen E Bedford, senior lecturer in children’s health¹, David A C Elliman, consultant in community child health²

¹ Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UCL Institute of Child Health, London WC1 1EH, ² GOSH@Haringey, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London WC1N 3LU

h.bedford@ich.ucl.ac.uk

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