Study casts doubt on autism link with MMR

CASES of autism in children appear to be levelling out despite fears that numbers are rising due to the MMR vaccine, according to new research.

Researchers found that while cases among children born between 1979 and 1992 had been rising steadily, they appeared to plateau after this date.

The study suggests that the rise in autism may not have been "real", but a result of greater awareness and more efficient record keeping.

Concern had been expressed that the MMR vaccine may lead to cases of the illness. Estimates have suggested that before the introduction of MMR in the late 1980s, one in 2,500 children were diagnosed with autism; now, one in 156 children under eight have the condition.

A link between the MMR jab, autism and inflammatory bowel disease was first suggested in 1998 by Dr Andrew Wakefield, a consultant at London’s Royal Free Hospital.

But the new study, carried out by the department of paediatrics and child health at the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, suggests the rise in autism among children born between 1979 and 1992 started to level off for those born in the following four years.

The authors state the earlier recorded rise in autism was "likely due to factors such as increased recognition, a greater willingness to accept the diagnostic label and better recording systems".

Claims that MMR vaccine is involved "in the initiation of autism and/or with regressing and/or with bowel problems associated with autism are not associated with any credible scientific evidence," they add.