Expert Commentary
With so much information online about vaccines, it can be hard to know who to trust. Here, we present commentary from several experts in the field. Read what the people who have spent their lives studying vaccines and disease have to say.
Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism
Institute of Medicine National Academies, May 17,
2004
"Based on a thorough review of clinical and epidemiological studies, neither the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal nor the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are associated with autism...Further research to find the cause of autism should be directed toward other lines of inquiry that are supported by current knowledge and evidence and offer more promise for providing an answer."
'Five large epidemiological studies conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden since 2001 consistently provided evidence that there is no association between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."
What Parents Should Know About Thimerosal
The American Academy of Pediatrics
"There are no valid studies that show a link between thimerosal in vaccines and autistic spectrum disorder. A 2004 report from the Institute of Medicine, Vaccines and Autism, concluded that the available evidence is against the existence of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."
"CDC found no change in autism rates relative to the amount of thimerosal a child received from vaccines in the first six months of life. In other words, a child who received more thimerosal was not more likely to be autistic."
Childhood Vaccines Save Lives, March Of Dimes Says
March of Dimes, January 29, 2008
"'The implication that vaccinations cause autism is irresponsible and counter productive,' said Michael Katz, M.D., senior vice president for Research and Global Programs for the March of Dimes... Although several carefully performed scientific studies have searched for a link between autism and the use of thimerosal in vaccines, no such link has been found."
AMA responds to premiere episode of ABC's 'Eli Stone'
American Medical Association, January 25,
2008
"Scientific data overwhelmingly show that there is no connection between vaccines and autism...We need more research to investigate the actual causes of autism, but it would be a disservice to the health of our children if we let vaccines take the blame for this tragic and complex disease."
The CEO of the American Medical Association, Michael D. Maves, M.D.
Media Briefing on Vaccines and Child Health
July 19, 2005
"I can say authoritatively without question that having a child with autism has been my family's single greatest challenge and my own personal greatest challenge. My own opinion is that autism is one of the cruelest conditions that could befall a child or her parents...One thing that we're totally confident about is that Rachel's autism had absolutely nothing to do with the vaccines that she received. Even if we could turn back the clock and do it all over again, I can honestly say that we would still give Rachel her full complement of pediatric vaccines."
"We need a war on autism, not a war on childhood vaccines."
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.P., father of an autistic child and professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at George Washington University
World Health Organization (WHO) for Weekly Epidemiological Record
September 13, 2002
“It is important to note that concerns about the toxicity of thimerosal are theoretical and there is no compelling scientific evidence of a safety problem with its use in vaccines, although public perception of risk remains in some countries. WHO policy is clear on this issue, and the Organization continues to recommend the use of vaccines containing thimerosal for global immunization programmes since the benefits of using such products far outweigh any theoretical risk of toxicity.”