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PARENTS of autistic children have dismissed new
research which claims to prove there is no link between autism and the
MMR vaccine.
A new study looked at the records of 537,303
children born in Denmark between January 1991 and December 1998 of whom
440,303 had been given the jab.
The research, published yesterday in the New
England Journal of Medicine, found that 316 children had been diagnosed
with an autistic disorder and 422 with other autistic-spectrum
disorders.
The researchers, led by Kreesten Madsen from the
Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, found the relative risks of
developing an autistic disorder were similar for those who had been
given the MMR jab and those who had not.
But Julie Loch, 37, who believes her six-year-old
son Oliver's autism was caused by MMR, said the latest research proved
nothing.
Traces of the MMR vaccine Oliver received have been
found in his gut and Mrs Loch, from Marshfield, near Cardiff, believes
this proves the link with his autism.
She said, "Epidemiological studies have limited use
and what the Governments of the world ought to be doing is looking at
the children that appear to have been damaged by the vaccine and finding
out what has caused their difficulties.
"There are just too many parents who have had
normal children and
seen them regress within weeks who are all telling
exactly the same story.
"With Oliver it was a gradual and insidious
process.
"I've got a friend with a ten-year-old son with
autism.
"With her little boy it is a genetic thing - he
didn't develop normally - whereas with Oliver she could clearly see
there was normal development and because she knew about autism she could
see the features emerging."
The researchers also found no link between the
development of an autistic disorder and the child's age at the time of
vaccination or the date when they had the MMR jab.
The study authors concluded, "This study provides
strong evidence against the hypothesis that MMR vaccination causes
autism."
The suggestion of a link between MMR and autism was
sparked by Dr Andrew Wakefield in a study published in 1998.
However, since then numerous studies have said
there is no evidence that the jab causes children to
develop autism.
The deafblind charity Sense yesterday welcomed the
new research.
Joff McGill, head of voluntary services, said, "Now
we have a comprehensive study showing that children who have the MMR
vaccination are no more likely to develop autism than those who don't.
"The consequences of measles, mumps and rubella can
be devastating. The MMR vaccine has been a huge success in reducing the
numbers of people affected by these diseases.
"This latest research should re-assure parents that
MMR remains the best way of protecting their children." |