Does the Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine Cause Autism? | P a g e 0
Does the Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine
Cause Autism?
Norman, Laura L.
December 15, 2014
Ms. Norman
Period 7
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Table of Contents
Task 1: Interpreting Scientific Research .................................................................................................. 2
Research Article 1: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive
Developmental Disorder in Children ........................................................................................................ 2
Research Article 2: Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy:
A Case-Control Study ............................................................................................................................... 9
Task 2: Argumentative Paper ................................................................................................................. 16
Works Cited............................................................................................................................................... 23
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Task 1: Interpreting Scientific Research
Research Article 1: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive
Developmental Disorder in Children
Is there a connection between receiving the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccination
and the development of autism? The purpose of this paper is review studies that scientifically
investigate a potential link between children with regressive autism and similar developmental
disorders, gastrointestinal (GI) issues, and the administration of the vaccine for measles, mumps,
and rubella (MMR). Specifically, the scientists conducting these studies wanted to determine
whether the MMR vaccine caused the intestinal problems, allowing proteins from the MMR
vaccines to get to the brain and cause autism. Two studies were selected; one in an attempt to
prove the connection and the other in an attempt to disprove a connection. The work of Dr.
Andrew Wakefield and his team will be analyzed first, followed by a review of the study
conducted by Dr. Mady Hornig and her team. Wakefield’s work has since been retracted, but
was nonetheless important because it prompted a decline in parents choosing to vaccinate their
children leading to measles outbreaks, and a series of research into the potential link between
autism and vaccines (“Concerns about Autism” par 2).
The original research was conducted in 1998 by Dr. AJ Wakefield, a gastroenterologist,
and his team in the United Kingdom. This was an important study because the rate of autism has
increased from 1 in 150 in children born in 1992 to 1 in 68 for children born in 2002 (Baio par.
8). The background provided for Wakefield’s study involved the observation of a noted pattern
of children who were once developing normally, then lost developmental skills, including
language (637). The children also exhibited some degree of GI problems, specifically stomach
pain, diarrhea, gas, and intolerance to certain foods (Wakefield et al. 637). The majority of these
children also had their developmental and digestive symptoms present within a short timeframe
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of receiving the MMR vaccine (Wakefield et al. 637). Dr. Wakefield and his team set out to
diagnose the digestive issues these children were experiencing, in addition to performing
neurological and blood tests to rule out known medical causes of developmental regression. The
evidence provided above supports the following hypothesis: If children receive the MMR
vaccine and develop similar GI problems followed by developmental losses with no other known
causes, then the MMR is triggering the GI problems and leading to the developmental losses.
Next, the methods for this experiment will be summarized.
The following methods were utilized in this study. Twelve children, eleven males and
one female, were brought to the gastroenterology unit at the British Royal Hospital because they
were exhibiting intestinal issues and displayed a loss of developmental milestones, with language
loss being noted (Wakefield et al. 637). The children ranged in age from 3-10 years old with and
an average age of six (Wakefield et al. 637). The research team took a history for each child,
including immunization records (Wakefield et al. 637). Developmental records were also
reviewed from parents and physicians. A psychiatric assessment was conducted on 8 of the 12
children who did not already have an assessment on file (Wakefield et al. 637). Intestinal scopes
were performed on the children, including biopsies of tissue from different locations in the
digestive tract (Wakefield et al. 637). The children also had magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI),
electroencephalography (EEG), and lumbar puncture to evaluate the brain and surrounding areas
(Wakefield et al. 637). Blood was also taken and examined for known causes of neurological
disorders that cause regression and similar symptoms to autism (Wakefield et al. 637). These
included thyroid, serum long-chain fatty acids, IgA, and cerebrospinal-fluid lactate (Wakefield et
al. 637). Urine was tested for levels of methylmalonic-acid and stool samples were checked for
parasites (Wakefield et al. 637). A genetic screening was done on male subjects to rule out
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fragile-X (Wakefield et al. 637). All of the tests were conducted to diagnose the cause of the
stomach and intestinal problems, as well as diagnose and rule out known causes of the
developmental losses. Next, the control and experimental group will be discussed.
There was not a set control population for all tests in this this study; however, levels were
compared to accepted normal levels for age and gender for individual tests. For the MRI, EEG,
cerebral spinal fluid, blood tests, fragile-X test, results were issued as normal/abnormal or
positive/negative when interpreted in comparison to defined laboratory levels (Wakefield et al.
638). Basically, there were already standard normal laboratory levels by age that were accepted
by experts. Development was compared to documented and accepted milestones and diagnoses
were made using defined HMS-4 criteria; the criteria used to diagnose psychiatric disorders
(Wakefield et al. 638). The intestinal biopsy samples were compared to five patients of the same
age, with samples exhibiting normal results when taken from the same locations of the intestine
(Wakefield et al. 638). The methylmalonic-acid excretion in the urine was compared to fourteen
children of the same age and gender who would be considered developmentally normal
(Wakefield et al. 638). Next dependent and independent variables will be presented.
The independent variables were the age, gender, MMR vaccine status, date of MMR shot,
date of reported behavior symptoms, date of reported digestive symptoms, and reports of
intestinal issues and developmental losses for each child in the study group. The dependent
variables were the levels of blood tests, results of brain structure exams, genetic testing results,
diagnosis from psychological exam, urine levels of methylmalonic-acid, presence of parasites in
the stool, visible findings through endoscope, and microscopic results of scope biopsies. The
reported level or results of the attribute being tested would be considered the dependent variable.
For example, thyroid and IgA levels are dependent variables. In the case of methylmalonic-acid
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levels in the urine, the age and gender, presence of intestinal issues and presence of
developmental issues of the study group as well as the control group were the independent
variables. The control group was free of developmental and intestinal issues; whereas, the study
group was not. The dependent variable was the level of methylmalonic-acid measured in the
urine for each child. The only portions of this experiment that used control of variables were in
the studies of methylmalonic-acid in the urine and the endoscopic results. In the case of
methylmalonic-acid measurement and endoscopic results, the children selected as controls were
of the same age and gender without a history of intestinal and developmental issues (Wakefield
et al. 638). It was necessary to control because methylmalonic-acid levels to make sure children
of the same age and gender were being compared because these levels can vary with age
(Wakefield et al. 638). With the endoscopic study, it was also necessary to control by taking
biopsy samples from the exact same portion of the intestines because cells can differ in different
parts of the digestive tract (Wakefield et al. 638). This controlled for the variable of location, in
addition to gender, age, developmental and digestive status. In the study group, all children had
received the MMR vaccine and exhibited digestive and developmental issues following. A
control population of same-aged, same gender children who received the MMR vaccine at
approximately the same point in life without exhibiting symptoms would have added more
credibility and controlled for the timing of the vaccine. Next the results and analysis will be
discussed.
The results were reported in text, image, table and graphical format. Photos with
descriptions were used to represent the results of the scope (Wakefield et al. 640). This is
helpful because the differences and abnormalities in the different portions of the intestines were
much easier to visualize with an actual image. This is qualitative data. The methylmalonic-acid
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levels were represented in a graph (Wakefield et al. 638). The independent variables on the xaxis were the grouped study and control children. The dependent variable was the
methylmalonic-acid level. This was the appropriate representation of this data because it allows
the reader to visualize instantly that the methylmalonic-acid levels were much higher overall for
the study group. The methylmalonic-acid levels are quantitative data. The axes and tables detail
exactly who and what are being tested. A table on page 638 represents the age, gender, abnormal
laboratory tests, results of the endoscope, both observed with the camera and results after
samples were examined under a microscope (Wakefield et al.). This was a good way to
summarize all of the abnormal findings in one area (Wakefield et al. 638). However, it would
have been more descriptive to separate out the individual tests with abnormalities, for example,
IgA blood levels, and depict graphically the levels of each child, with a horizontal line indicating
a normal value, or control. In this case, each subject (child) would have been along the x-axis as
the independent variable and the IgA level would have been on the y-axis as the dependent
variable. The table on page 638 contains both quantitative and qualitative data (Wakefield et
al.). The quantitative data is the numerical abnormal blood test results and age. The qualitative
data reported is gender, and endoscope results made by the eye and microscope. There are no
axes this table, but the title is descriptive and the sections contain detailed headings. The title
explains exactly what data is contained in the table and each heading describes the exact data that
is contained below. For example, under the Abnormal Test Results heading, all of the
corresponding abnormal results, with levels are listed. The captions contained the normal values
for each parameter that was reported as abnormal. As stated above, the blood test data could
have been better represented in an x-y axis, dependent-independent variable format. However,
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the existing format allows the reader to visualize the presence of abnormal results. Next the
discussion and conclusion with be discussed.
The original hypothesis and problem restated but the results are not conclusive. There is
evidence of chronic enterocolitis in the group of children with developmental issues that came
forward for this study, but they did not conclusively prove that the cause was the MMR vaccine
(Wakefield et al. 639). Wakefield et al. also reported that while the results of the intestinal
scopes were consistent, the timing of the developmental issues was not consistent in terms of the
timing of the MMR vaccine in all children (Wakefield et al. 639). Wakefield et al. do refer back
to several studies providing scientific background for this case. For example, Wakefield et al.
reference previous research by D’Eufemia et al. documenting intestinal issues in children with
autism (639). The authors also reference the work of Fudenberg, who found that symptoms of
autism appeared in 15 of 20 children within one week of receiving the MMR vaccine (Wakefield
et al. 640). Next applications of this study will be discussed.
While there are definitely developmental and intestinal disease in these children who
were studied, there is not enough data to say that the cause is the MMR vaccine. Dr. Wakefield
et al. reported in an addition to the original study that 39 out of 40 children exhibited the same
syndrome of intestinal colitis and developmental loss (640). Uhlmann et al., with a team that
included Dr. Wakefield, conducted a follow-up study and found that 75 out of 91 children with
the intestinal and developmental illness defined by Wakefield, also had evidence of the measles
virus in their intestines (84). These studies were significant enough to raise concerns in the
minds of parents and the medical community about the relationship between autism and
vaccines. This information could applied in other fields of study such as epidemiology (the
science of study disease patterns in populations), psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and
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education. Epidemiologists could use this information to conduct studies on MMR vaccines and
rates of autism in specific regions or groups of people. Psychologists, psychiatrists and
sociologists could use the data to help diagnose patients and complete more detailed medical
histories. Educators could use the information to help better understand children in their
classrooms who might have digestive issues in addition to autism that cause pain and discomfort.
Parents used information from this study and future studies to make decisions about the safety of
vaccinating their children. The study sparked numerous studies looking at the relationship
between autism and the (1) MMR vaccine, (2) thimerosal, a type of mercury, used to preserve
vaccines, and (3) number of vaccines that are given (Gerber & Offit 456). Wakefield et al.
produced a study with the results that forced the scientific community toward looking at a
connection between vaccines and autism. Next potential sources of error and future research will
be discussed.
There were several sources of potential error in the experiment. First of all, the group of
children was very small and all were referred because they had GI issues and developmental
regression. There was truly not a set control group for all the tests. As stated above, many of the
blood levels were compared to accepted normal values, not the children that were used as
controls in the intestinal scope. Also, 8 of the 12 children were reported to have the regression
and digestive issues after receiving the MMR vaccine. This data was reported by parents, not a
scientific source. This impacts the results because a big part of the hypothesis, that the MMR
vaccine caused the intestinal and developmental issues) is based on non-scientific, non-provable
reports made by a parent(s). Wakefiled et al. state in the conclusion that further virological
studies of the intestinal biopsies were being done to establish the connection (641). Wakefield
and his team also added an addendum noting the intestinal and developmental illness in 39 out of
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40 more children. The team also called for further studies of the potential connection between
the MMR vaccine and the syndrome they described in this study. In doing so, the connection
that was established, that children with autism also displayed intestinal inflammation when
examined with a scope, was enough to make parents and the scientific community look for the
agent of cause. The study completed by Wakefield et al., and future studies by Uhlmann et al.,
left the MMR vaccine high on the list of probable causes. Next, the study conducted by Dr.
Mady Hornig and her team will be reviewed.
Research Article 2: Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with
Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study
The purpose of the study conducted by Dr. Hornig of the Center for Infection and
Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, and her team
from across the world, was to replicate the original and follow-up studies conducted by Dr.
Wakefield and his team that revealed a potential connection to intestinal disease, autism and
receiving the MMR vaccine. Specifically, studies by Uhlmann and his research team, which
included Dr. Wakefield, reported that 75 out of 91 children with the intestinal and developmental
illness defined by Wakefield, also had evidence of the measles virus in their intestines (84).
While over twenty studies that followed disproved components of Wakefield’s original work, no
study had ever looked at children with the GI disease and development of autism reported after
receiving the MMR vaccine, and a whether or not samples from the GI tract tested positive for
the measles virus (Hornig et al. 1). Next the background information, problem, and hypothesis
for this study will be discussed.
The background information for this study consists of citing the studies in 1998 reporting
measles virus RNA in the intestinal tract of children who developed intestinal distress and autism
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(Hornig et al. 1). The authors also report that although studies since 1998 have demonstrated no
connection between the MMR and autism, these studies failed to check for measles virus in the
intestines of the children (Hornig et al. 1). Hornig et al. reported that failure to duplicate the
original studies could be contributing to the continued public fear over the safety of the MMR
vaccine and the potential connection to developing autism (1). The problem that this study will
address is that all components of the original study will be replicated, looking at patients with GI
issues, autism, and examining biopsies from the intestinal tract for the presence of measles virus
RNA (Hornig et al. 1). Hornig et al. even went as far as to use one of the labs from the previous
studies that identified measles virus RNA in the intestinal tissue (2). There are three hypotheses
for this experiment is as follows: (1)If children with autism and GI distress do not have a higher
incidence of measles virus RNA in their intestines than children who have GI issues alone, then
there is no connection between autism and the measles virus; (2) If the MMR vaccine causes GI
illness and autism, then the MMR vaccine must come before both illnesses; (3) If existing GI
illness aggravated by the MMR vaccine cause autism, then the onset of autism should be after
both the GI illness and the MMR vaccine (Hornig et al. 1, 3-4). The support for this hypothesis
is that Hornig et al. biopsied the intestinal tissues of children with autism and children without
autism who also had intestinal issues and sent them to labs to look for measles virus RNA (1).
The team also studied the timing of the MMR vaccine in relationship to the developmental and
intestinal symptoms to look for a connection (Hornig et al. 1). Next, the methods for this
experiment will be discussed.
The children for this study were all selected because they medically needed
ilealcolonoscopies or scopes of their intestines (Hornig et al. 1). The study included 25 children
with autism and GI issues and 13 children without autism, but with GI issues, as the control
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group (Hornig et al. 5). The children were all ages 3-10 years old, and study children and control
children were matched for age (Hornig et al. 5). All of the children had at least one dose of the
MMR vaccine (Hornig et al. 1). All diagnosis of autism were confirmed with psychiatrists,
neurologists and psychologists, and date of MMR vaccine administration was obtained from
medical records (Hornig et al. 5). Biopsies were taken from the ileum, cecum, and any lesions,
of all of the subjects and sent to laboratories that were blinded with ID codes, meaning that the
laboratories would not know which samples were from the experimental (autism) or control
group (Hornig et al. 6). All three laboratories used the same methods for the identification of
measles virus RNA and analyzed the same blinded samples, including positive and negative
controls (Hornig et al. 6). If results between the labs were not consistent, identical samples were
re-sent to the labs until the results were in agreement (Hornig et al. 6). The control group
consisted of the same-age children with intestinal distress with at least one MMR vaccine, but no
diagnosis of autism. The experimental group was the group of same-aged children with
intestinal distress and autism receiving at least one MMR vaccine. The independent variables
are the children and their medical statuses as follows: autism and GI distress and/or just GI
distress; age; gender; when the MMR vaccine status was given either before or after the MMR,
the autism and/or GI issues appeared; and age. The dependent variable was the presence of
measles RNA in intestinal biopsies. It was necessary to control for the variables of age, receipt
of MMR vaccine, autism vs no autism diagnosis, and the presence of GI distress. It was
important to compare children of the same age because intestinal development could be different
at different ages. It was also critical to look at children with GI distress who were not diagnosed
with autism to rule out the MMR vaccine as a cause of GI issues alone. The study also controlled
for children who developed symptoms both before and after the MMR vaccine to see if there was
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a difference in the number of children who had GI issues and/or autism prior to receiving the
vaccine. This could eliminate the MMR vaccine as the cause. Next the results and analysis of
this experiment will be discussed.
There are a total of five tables that were used to represent the data as follows: subject
characteristics; GI episodes relative to MMR vaccine; detection of measles virus RNA by group;
and two tables describing onset of symptoms before or after MMR vaccine. This was the most
appropriate way to accurately represent the results, both reported and gained from the lab, for the
control group and experimental group, all in one place because the reports involve both
quantitative and qualitative data. The authors could have placed data, such as age and gender on
separate graphs with age groups and/or male and female on the x-axis (independent variables)
and the number of children in each of the categories on the y-axis (dependent variable), but this
data would not be useful without the qualitative data. The tables allow the reader to see the
matching of age, gender and results across the experimental and control groups. The quantitative
data is age, number of measles virus RNA codes found in sample, time from MMR vaccine to
biopsy, time from MMR vaccine to symptoms; total number of MMR vaccines. The qualitative
data reported is gender, presence of autism and/or GI issues; portion of the intestine biopsied.
The tables all have descriptive headings explaining the information that will appear in the table.
In most cases the format includes headings for the characteristic, event or timing of the event
being reported, and the experimental autism/GI group vs the control GI group. The tables are
easy to understand because each variable is clearly labeled with a reported result. For example,
in table 3, the data reported is captioned to identify that only on samples where measles RNA
was found in the biopsy sample would be displayed (Hornig et al. 4). In this table there are no
true x- and y-axes as this is not a graph; however, running across the top horizontally are the
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following labels: ID of the sample, study group (experimental or control) that the sample was
taken from; gender; age at biopsy; age at MMR; time since MMR; portion of GI tract sample
was taken from; number of molecules positive for measles virus RNA. From reviewing this
table, the reader can tell immediately that of the two samples testing positive for measles virus
RNA, one came from the experimental group and the other came from the control. Both samples
came from the ileum portion of intestine from males, ages of 3.98 and 4.71 years, and that the
child from the control group had more measles RNA sequences than the child from the
experimental group (Hornig et al. 4). Next the discussion and conclusion sections will be
reviewed.
The conclusion does restate the original problem and hypothesis. From the data, the
authors concluded that there was no relationship between the timing of the MMR vaccine and the
onset of either GI illness or autism (Hornig et al. 5). The data from the experimental group
illustrates that on average the first GI issue occurred at 12.0 months of age, autism occurred at
13.5 months, while the first MMR vaccine was not received until the age of 15.3 months (Hornig
et al. 5). This study also disproved a connection between measles virus RNA in the intestines of
children with GI issues and autism (Hornig et al. 5). In fact, Hornig et al. found that only one
child from the experimental group and one child from the control group had measles virus RNA
in their intestines (4). This data provided evidence against measles virus RNA in the intestines
causing autism. In summary, the authors were also unable to confirm the work of Wakefield that
stated that 75% of children with autism and intestinal illness had measles virus RNA in their
intestines, compared to only 6% of children without autism (Hornig et al. 5). Since similar
methods, coupled with blinding of samples were used, experimental error is extremely unlikely
(Hornig et al. 5). This explanation refers back to the studies cited in the background for
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information by referencing specific parts of the previous studies that relate to the current
hypothesis. For example, providing the percentages reported in previous studies of children with
GI issues and autism with measles virus RNA in their intestines versus the control is information
that was provided in the background. Next the applications of this scientific knowledge will be
discussed.
The information from this study is extremely valuable because it was the first study to
attempt to replicate the findings of measles virus RNA in a high percentage of intestines of
children with autism and GI issues. By proving that there is no difference between the
experimental and control group, the MMR vaccine as a cause of measles RNA in the intestines is
eliminated. Also, by showing that there was no relationship between autism, GI issues and the
timing of the MMR vaccine, the MMR vaccine as a cause of GI issues and autism was also
eliminated. This is important information to other fields of study because scientists and
agencies, such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC), can stop funding studies that investigate
the connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. Instead, the minds of the scientists and
the funds of the agencies can be used to investigate other more likely causes of autism. The
CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as other agencies that work with children can
use this information to raise awareness about the safety of the MMR vaccine and hopefully stop
the measles outbreaks that are currently happening in the United Stated today, with 603 cases
reported this year (“Measles Cases and Outbreaks” par 1). There were no reported sources of
error in these experiments; however, the sample size of the experimental and control groups were
small. The study also only looked at children with autism who had GI issues and controls with
GI issues. It may have been important to include experimental children with autism without GI
issues and controls without GI issues because it might have been possible for measles virus RNA
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to still be in the intestines even though there were no GI issues. The issues is that it may not be
ethical to do a surgical procedure on a child that does not have medical issues making the
procedure necessary. The conclusion states that future studies should be done to identify
differences among the types and causes of GI issues in children with autism (Hornig et al. 5).
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Task 2: Argumentative Paper
Imagine a normally developing twelve-month old. This child can say a few short words,
turn when you say his name, and point to show you a helicopter flying overhead. The
development continues, and by fifteen months, the toddler has a few more words and is starting
to figure out more complicated toys. By eighteen months, imagine that same child with no more
language, no response to his name, and no more pointing to show; these are some of the warning
signs of autism (“Early Signs of Autism” par 3). This is what happened to my brother and his
life has been a struggle ever since.
The Center for Disease Control recommends that a child receive the measles, mumps,
rubella vaccine between 12-15 months of age, and the signs of autism typically appear between
15-18 months of age (“Immunization” par 2). With the rate of autism on the rise, today at 1 in
68 children, and the timing of autism symptoms falling right after most children receive their
first MMR vaccination, it makes logical sense that there could be a connection between the
MMR vaccine and autism (“Concerns about Autism” par 2). The work of Dr. Andrew
Wakefield and his team from British Royal Hospital entitled, “lleal-lymphoid-nodular
hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children,” studied the
intestines of children afflicted with autism who also had gastrointestinal issues (GI), both of
which were claimed to have started within 2 weeks of receiving the MMR (Wakefield et al. 637).
This study found similar intestinal swelling and disease in children with autism (Wakefield et al.
637). Further studies by Wakefield et al. indicated that 75% of children with autism that were
tested had measles virus RNA in their intestines compared to only 6% of control children
(Hornig et al. 5). This information was understandably very alarming to parents and the medical
community, causing many parents to stop administering the MMR vaccine to their children
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(“Concerns about Autism” par 2). Who would purposely subject their child to a lifelong
disability if there was the possibility of preventing autism by NOT giving the MMR vaccine? I
know I would have done anything to prevent my brother from having to struggle to live life
every day.
Understandably, many parents stopped vaccinating as a result of Dr. Wakefield’s study
and the medical community launched a full campaign to study the possible connection between
the MMR vaccine and autism (“Concerns about Autism” par 2 and 3). All of these studies have
shown that there is no connection between the MMR vaccine, vaccine timing, and/or mercury
and autism (“Concerns about Autism” par 3). The measles virus was once completely eliminated
in the United States; however, due to the fear over vaccination started by the study from
Wakefield et al., there are deadly measles outbreaks happening in the United Stated today, with
603 cases reported this year (“Measles Cases and Outbreaks” par 1). Measles can leave people
blind, disabled, and even dead, yet parents continue not to vaccinate their children because they
believe the vaccine will cause autism. The study by Wakefield et al. was never able to be
replicated; in fact, the article was retracted by 10 of the 13 authors and The Lancet journal
(“Immunizations par 3). Going one step further, Dr. Mady Hornig from the Center for Infection
and Immunity at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and her team of
researchers from across the world conducted an experiment entitled, “Lack of Association
between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study”, that
replicated the work of Wakefield et al. by looking for measles RNA in intestinal biopsies of
children both with and without autism (1). The study by Hornig et al. used both an experimental
and control group as well as three labs to test for measles RNA that were all blind to which
samples they were receiving (1). One of the labs in the study was actually the lab that found
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measles virus RNA in the Wakefield et al. study (Hornig 1). After studying the research of
Hornig et al., I am more convinced than ever that there is no connection between the MMR
vaccine and autism, and through the facts below, I hope to convince you as well.
First, I will start with one of Dr. Wakefield’s first points, and a concern for many
families, the timing of the MMR vaccine and autism. Wakefield et al. reported in 10 of 12 of his
cases with autism and GI issues that the autism symptoms started within two weeks of receiving
the MMR vaccine (639). This information was provided by parents. I am not doubting input
from these parents, but they brought their children to Dr. Wakefield because he was looking for a
possible connection to the MMR and autism; in addition, 11 of the 12 parents were blaming the
vaccine for causing the autism (Wakefield 637, Deer). The work of Hornig et al. directly
contradicts Wakefield et al. Hornig et al. used an experimental group of 25 children that had
autism with GI issues. Information regarding the timing of the MMR vaccine, autism and GI
symptoms was obtained from medical records (Hornig et al. 3). In Table 1 below, data shows
the age at which the child gets the first MMR vaccine, the age at which they experience their first
GI episode, the age at which they are diagnosed with autism, and the age at which they had the
GI biopsy (Hornig et al. 5). If you look at the very last row in the table labeled, “All AUT/GI
cases,” the median age for all the children studied is shown. One can conclude from this data
that the MMR vaccine was given at 15.3 months of age, while the first GI episode was at 12.0
months, and autism onset was at 13.5 months (Hornig et al. 5). This means, for this group, that
autism and GI issues began before the first vaccination of the MMR; therefore, how could the
MMR vaccine be causing autism?
Does the Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine Cause Autism? | P a g e 1 9
Table 1: This table shows the timing of the MMR, autism (ASD), and GI issues for the experimental group in the study. For each
group, the median age in months when each event occurred is reported. The number of each children in each classification is
represented as ‘n’ (Hornig et al. 5).
Next, let’s look further at the Wakefield et al.’s claim that the MMR vaccine was causing
GI disease that then allowed measles virus to get in the bloodstream, to the brain, and cause
autism (639). If this is true then children would have to get the MMR vaccine, next develop GI
issues, and then develop autism. Looking at Table 2 below from the work of Hornig et al., in the
case of the experimental group with both autism and GI issues, only 20% of the group, 5 out of
25 children, received the MMR before autism and had GI issues before autism (3). In other
words, 80% of the experimental group did not go in the order of MMR, then GI issues, then
autism (Hornig, 3). This disproves Wakefield et al.’s claim that the MMR vaccine was causing
the GI disease that allowed measles to get to the brain and cause autism (639).
Does the Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine Cause Autism? | P a g e 2 0
Table 2: The first part table contains median age of MMR, GI, and autism onset for the experimental and control groups. The
bottom portion contains the number and percentage of the experimental group by order of MMR, GI issues, and autism onset
(Hornig et al. 3).
The final and most convincing piece of evidence involves the finding by Wakefield et al.
that 75% of children with autism that were tested had measles virus RNA in their intestines
compared to only 6% of control children (Hornig et al. 5). First off, when Dr. Hornig and her
team conducted this experiment they used a method called a “double blind study.” Meaning,
three different labs tested the intestinal biopsies for measles RNA until a common result was
reached (including the lab from the Wakefield et al study), and the labs did not know which
group the sample belonged to, control or experimental, because the samples had ID numbers
(Hornig 4). The experiment was conducted on 25 children that had autism and GI issues and 13
Does the Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine Cause Autism? | P a g e 2 1
with only GI issues with similar ages and genders (Hornig et al. 1). This procedure leaves
almost no room for error. Looking at the data in Table 3 below, Hornig et al. reported that only
two male children of approximately the same age had measles virus RNA in their ileum (4). One
child was from the control group and the other was from the experimental group. The child
without autism actually had more measles RNA genes in his ileum than the child with autism.
This means that only 4% of the experimental group, and 7.6% of the control group had measles
RNA in the intestines. This data strongly contradicts the data of Wakefield et al. in an
experiment that controlled variables and sources of error.
Table 3: This table compares the one experimental and one control subjects with measles virus RNA present in intestinal
biopsies. The subjects are compared by ID, group, gender, age at events, and number and description of RNA genes (Hornig et
al. 4).
Based on the evidence provided above that contradicts every conclusion of Dr. Wakefield
and his team, along with the fact that 10 out 13 of the original authors retracted their names from
the study, I can strongly state that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism. The work of Dr.
Wakefield his team was inaccurate; however, was important because the study did raise
awareness of autism and encouraged other doctors and scientists to conduct experiments that
could potentially provide a cause and cure. However, the damage done by the research of Dr.
Wakefield and his team has caused a decline in vaccination and a deadly measles virus outbreak
in the United States. Also, a great deal of time and money has been spent trying to convince the
public that vaccines do not cause autism to try to convince parents that it is safe to vaccinate their
Does the Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine Cause Autism? | P a g e 2 2
children. Hopefully now, money and time can be spent trying to find the real cause of autism so
it can be cured and prevented.
Does the Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine Cause Autism? | P a g e 2 3
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