Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses

2009/01/07 by Jeffrey S. Gerber, Paul A. Offit · 2 citations
Social Sciences · Medicine · #Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy #Virology and Viral Diseases #SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research #Medicine #Autism #Thimerosal #Measles #Rubella #Vaccination #Immunology #Epidemiology #Measles vaccine #Virology #Psychiatry #Internal medicine

paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/596476

openalex publication_date 2009/01/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Although child vaccination rates remain high, some parental concern persists that vaccines might cause autism. Three specific hypotheses have been proposed: (1) the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine causes autism by damaging the intestinal lining, which allows the entrance of encephalopathic proteins; (2) thimerosal, an ethylmercury-containing preservative in some vaccines, is toxic to the central nervous system; and (3) the simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines overwhelms or weakens the immune system. We will discuss the genesis of each of these theories and review the relevant epidemiological evidence.

Citations

• Autism and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: no epidemiological evidence for a causal association
• Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review of Published Original Data

Cited by

• Facilitating Middle School Students’ Reasoning About Vaccines
• Generation Rescue [wikipedia]

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