The DOI matches its Crossref record; 84 of the 84 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The MMR Vaccine and Autism
Open accessAbstract
Autism is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. A report published in 1998, but subsequently retracted by the journal, suggested that measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. However, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that has a strong genetic component with genesis before one year of age, when MMR vaccine is typically administered. Several epidemiologic studies have not found an association between MMR vaccination and autism, including a study that found that MMR vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of autism even among high-risk children whose older siblings had autism. Despite strong evidence of its safety, some parents are still hesitant to accept MMR vaccination of their children. Decreasing acceptance of MMR vaccination has led to outbreaks or resurgence of measles. Health-care providers have a vital role in maintaining confidence in vaccination and preventing suffering, disability, and death from measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
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“Despite widespread misleading reporting about links between the measles–mumps–rubella vaccine and autism from the end of the 1990s, there is no evidence that any vaccines or their components cause autism101,102.”
From A guide to vaccinology: from basic principles to new developments (2021) · cites this paper as [101]
In the citing paper
“Indeed, the evidence now overwhelmingly shows that there is no increased risk of autism in vaccinated populations.”
From A guide to vaccinology: from basic principles to new developments (2021) · cites this paper as [101]
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Cites
3 retracted
Wakefield, A., Murch, S., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D., Malik, M., Berelowitz, M., Dhillon, A., Thomson, M., Harvey, P., et al. (1998) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(97)11096-0 · Cited by 3,006
RetractedLancet, T. (2010) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(10)60175-4 · Cited by 500
RetractedEnterocolitis in children with developmental disorders
Wakefield, A. J., Anthony, A., MURCH, S. H., Thomson, M. A., Montgomery, S., Davies, S. E., O’Leary, J. J., Berelowitz, M., & Walker-Smith, J. A. (2000) · The American Journal of Gastroenterology · doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2000.03248.x · Cited by 244
RetractedBaio, J., Wiggins, L., Christensen, D. L., Maenner, M. J., Daniels, J., Warren, Z., Kurzius-Spencer, M., Zahorodny, W., Robinson, C., Rosenberg, et al. (2018) · MMWR. Surveillance Summaries · doi:10.15585/mmwr.ss6706a1 · Cited by 6,078
Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Atkinson, W. W. (2009) · Cited by 1,862
Autism and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: no epidemiological evidence for a causal association
Taylor, B., Miller, E., Farrington, C., Petropoulos, M.-C., Favot-Mayaud, I., Li, J., & Waight, P. A. (1999) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(99)01239-8 · Cited by 753
Impact of anti-vaccine movements on pertussis control: the untold story
Gangarosa, E., Gałazka, A., Wolfe, C., Phillips, L., Miller, E., Chen, R., & Gangarosa, R. E. (1998) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(97)04334-1 · Cited by 749
A population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism.
Madsen, K. M., Hviid, A., Vestergaard, M., Schendel, D., Wohlfahrt, J., Thorsen, P., Olsen, J., & Melbye, M. (2002) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmoa021134 · Cited by 710
Association Between Vaccine Refusal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States
Phadke, V. K., Bednarczyk, R. A., Salmon, D. A., & Omer, S. B. (2016) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2016.1353 · Cited by 677
Safety monitoring in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
Shimabukuro, T. T., Nguyen, M., Martin, D., & Destefano, F. R. (2015) · Vaccine · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.07.035 · Cited by 627
Self-citation
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
A guide to vaccinology: from basic principles to new developments
Pollard, A. J., & Bijker, E. M. (2021) · Nature Reviews Immunology · doi:10.1038/s41577-020-00479-7 · Cited by 1,593
Two centuries of vaccination: historical and conceptual approach and future perspectives
Montero, D. A., Vidal, R. M., Velasco, J., Carreño, L. J., Torres, J. P., O., M. A. B., Tovar-Rosero, Y.-Y., Oñate, A. A., & O’Ryan, M. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1326154 · Cited by 171
“The extensive media coverage of this study, even after its retraction, left a lasting mark on public perception, reducing MMR vaccination rates and leading to measles outbreaks in many parts of the world (287).”
BackgroundVaccine hesitancy in migrant communities: a rapid review of latest evidence
Tankwanchi, A. B. S., Bowman, B., Garrison, M. M., Larson, H. J., & Wiysonge, C. S. (2021) · Current Opinion in Immunology · doi:10.1016/j.coi.2021.05.009 · Cited by 117
The potential neurological effect of the COVID‐19 vaccines: A review
Lu, L., Xiong, W., Mu, J., Zhang, Q., Zhang, H., Zou, L., Li, W., He, L., Sander, J. W. A. S., & Zhou, D. (2021) · Acta Neurologica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/ane.13417 · Cited by 104
Do, L. A. H., & Mulholland, K. (2025) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmra2504516 · Cited by 102
Metadata
- Authors
- DeStefano, F., & Shimabukuro, T. T.
- Affiliations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- ORCID
- Shimabukuro, Tom T.
- Venue
- Annual Review of Virology
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2019-09-29
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 585-600
- ISSN
- 2327-056X (ISSN-L)
- 2327-0578
- PMC
- PMC6768751
- OpenAlex
- W2937418321
- Cited by
- 128
- References
- 84
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 2.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Annual Review of Virology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (CC999999)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Virology and Viral Diseases
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reactions
- Keywords
- MMR vaccine, autism spectrum disorder, measles, mumps, rubella, vaccine safety, autism risk, measles outbreak, measles resurgence, vaccine hesitancy, parental vaccine acceptance, genetic etiology of autism, measles vaccination
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Humans, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine
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