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Communicating science to the public: MMR vaccine and autism
Abstract
Media attention and consequent public concerns about vaccine safety followed publication of a small case-series of children who developed autism after receipt of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Many well-controlled studies performed subsequently found no evidence that MMR vaccine causes autism. However, despite these studies, some parents remain concerned that the MMR vaccine is not safe. We will discuss the origins of the hypothesis that the MMR vaccine causes autism, studies performed to test the hypothesis, how these studies have been communicated to the public, and some suggested strategies for how this communication can be improved.
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Excessive and unjustified media coverage of Wakefield 1998 led to a significant decrease in MMR-vaccine coverage and re-emergence of measles in the UK.
“At that time (1998) an excessive and unjustified media coverage of this small study had disastrous consequences (Flaherty 2011; Hilton 2007; Offit 2003; Smith 2008), such as distrust of public health vaccination programmes, suspicion about vaccine safety, with a consequential significant decrease in MMR-vaccine coverage and re-emergence of measles in the UK.”
From Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella in children (2012) · cites this paper as Offit 2003
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References 43 · Cited by 113
Metadata
- Authors
- Offit, P. A., & Coffin, S. E.
- Affiliations
- The Wistar Institute (US)
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Offit, Paul A
- ORCID
- Coffin, Susan E
- Venue
- Vaccine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-12
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-6
- ISSN
- 0264-410X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2142620342
- Cited by
- 113
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 0.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Vaccine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Keywords
- MMR vaccine, autism spectrum disorder, vaccine safety, science communication, public understanding of science, media coverage, parental vaccine concerns, replication study, science communication strategies
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Child, Child, Preschool, Humans, Infant, Mass Media, Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine, Information Dissemination
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