Overview

There has been ongoing controversy surrounding certain vaccines and their relationship to autism. Some parents have been concerned that vaccines, specifically the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and preservatives used in other childhood vaccines, play a role in children developing autism. There have been a lot of false claims in the news. But thorough studies have found no link between vaccines and autism.

A lot of research has been and is being done to find out the cause of autism. Go to www.cdc.gov/autism/seed/ to review research about the risks for autism and other developmental disabilities.

Because the exact cause of autism is not known, some parents will continue to have concerns despite the evidence. In these cases, parents should be aware of the risks of serious disease in children who are not vaccinated. In some areas, outbreaks of these dangerous diseases have occurred in people who have not been immunized.