Autism and MMR vaccine controversy

January 2010

The General Medical Council in Great BritaincensuresDr. Andrew Wakefield and other doctors who conducted research in the late 1990s claiming links between a common children's vaccine for combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and autism.

Wakefield said the allegations against him and his colleagues were unfounded and unjust.

His study in 1998, published in The Lancet journal of medicine,had linked the MMR vaccine with a subgroup of autistic children who also had serious gastrointestinal problems.

That study reported that the measles virus was lingering in the children's bowels.

February 2009

Aspecial U.S. court rules that measles vaccine isnot to blame for cases of autism. More than 5,500 claims had been filed.

September 2008

New research further debunks any link between measles vaccine and autism.Years of researchwith the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) have concluded that it doesn't cause autism.

U.S. researchers retest by taking samples of childrens intestines and conclude there is no evidence that MMR plays any role in autism.

August 2008

Measles cases in the U.S. are at the highest level in more than a decade, with nearly half of thoseinvolving children whose parents rejected vaccination.

Doctors worry that the trend is fuelled by unfounded fears that vaccines may cause autism.

Pediatricians are frustrated, saying they arespending more time convincing parents the shot is safe.

July 2007

British doctors, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Dr. John Walker-Smith and Dr. Simon Murch, whose research into the alleged link between a children's vaccine and autism,face hearings intocharges of professional misconduct in connection with their research.

The hearings, expected to last 15 weeks, could result in them losing their medical licences.

May 2004

The Institute of Medicine in Washington reviews five large studies that hadtracked thousands of children since 2001 and concludes there is no association between autism and the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine.

November 2002

Alandmark Danish study of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine concludes there'sno linkbetween it and autism.

The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.