Many parents report that their perfectly healthy children became autistic after receiving the MMR vaccine. The affected children were developing normally, then regressed after receiving the triple-virus shot, losing their previously acquired skills. Vaccine proponents deny that MMR can cause autism, and some of the studies appear to confirm this claim. However, some of the studies and other evidence clearly confirm an MMR-autism link.

How can MMR cause autism?
Dr. Andrew Wakefield was the first scientist to explain how MMR can cause autism: In the 1950s and 1960s (before MMR), researchers noted that young children who were simultaneously exposed to 2 or more viral infections (measles, mumps, rubella or chickenpox) had a greatly increased risk of developing autism. Dr. Wakefield realized that if a child who is exposed to 2 or more wild viruses at the same is at increased risk for autism, then a child who is injected with 3 live viruses at the same time via the MMR vaccine is equally at risk for autism, if not more so.
A young child exposed to 1 viral disease (measles, mumps, rubella or chickenpox) usually recovers. If the child is exposed to another viral disease weeks or months later, once again, recovery is expected. A young child exposed to 2 (or more) viral diseases at the same time is at increased risk for adverse complications, including autism. The MMR vaccine contains 3 viruses. Children vaccinated with MMR are exposed to 3 viral diseases at the same time.

Why are the 3 vaccines combined?
When 180 Swiss doctors analyzed 320 scientific works from around the world, they concluded that there is NO medical foundation for combining measles, mumps and rubella into a single shot. The 3 vaccines—measles, mumps and rubella—are combined for convenience, not safety or efficacy. (The child receives one shot—MMR—instead of three.)

Are 3 separate shots better?
Dr. Wakefield proposed separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines from the three-in-one    MMR shot—the way they were in the 1970s prior to being combined—and giving them individually over  the course of several weeks or months. Dr. Wakefield’s solution would protect against the risk of autism (from MMR), while satisfying immunization recommendations. However, parents should realize that the individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines can cause severe adverse reactions as well. These are listed by the vaccine manufacturer and documented in numerous studies.

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