--- title: Researchers Determine Childhood Vaccines Don't Lead to Autism description: Researchers study 20,000 scientific papers to determine that there is not a link between childhood vaccines and autism canonical: https://time.com/2943945/study-measles-mumps-and-rubella-vaccines-not-associated-with-autism/ author: Melissa Hellmann article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-01T07:51:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:37.788Z article:section: Health og:title: Researchers Determine Childhood Vaccines Don't Lead to Autism og:description: Researchers study 20,000 scientific papers to determine that there is not a link between childhood vaccines and autism og:url: https://time.com/2943945/study-measles-mumps-and-rubella-vaccines-not-associated-with-autism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Researchers Determine Childhood Vaccines Don't Lead to Autism twitter:description: Researchers study 20,000 scientific papers to determine that there is not a link between childhood vaccines and autism twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Study: Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccines Not Associated With Autism > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=3db99530-6eaa-41e6-ae96-2ed70cde2928&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Study Says Half Of Americans Believe Medical Conspiracy Theories [Watch (HLS stream): Study Says Half Of Americans Believe Medical Conspiracy Theories](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YCDaUI40.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2014-03-19. A new survey from University of Chicago shows half of Americans buy into medical conspiracy theories. Regardless of your thoughts on the theories, researchers say their existence have a very real effect._ by [Melissa Hellmann](https://time.com/author/melissa-hellmann/) ## Melissa Hellmann Jul 1, 2014 7:51 AM UTC by [Melissa Hellmann](https://time.com/author/melissa-hellmann/) ## Melissa Hellmann Jul 1, 2014 7:51 AM UTC A new study on childhood vaccines determined that immunizations do not lead to autism — a finding that researchers hope will dissipate fears propagated by antivaccine campaigners such as Hollywood stars Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey. Researchers in the study referenced 67 scientific papers, which were chosen for their control and comparison groups and relevance, to expose the low-risk factors of vaccinations. “Without this work there would be a lack of transparency around this issue, so by doing this important research in a thorough and systematic way, we acknowledge that there are rare but actual side effects,” said co-author Margaret Maglione, a policy analyst at RAND Corp. The [study](http://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476%2814%2900422-3/preview) published in the peer-reviewed journal _Pediatrics_ concluded there is no link between vaccines and leukemia or food allergies. Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) were found to occasionally have the severe side effects of fever or seizures; although, crucially, the report concludes that the “MMR vaccine is not associated with autism.” Although vaccines have eliminated many communicable diseases, some parents have chosen not to vaccinate their children in recent years. A 2010 study [showed](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/09/24/peds.2013-0878.abstract) that California had the highest cases of whooping cough since 1947\. Researchers did not directly study the effects of vaccine opt-out, but found that a cluster of unvaccinated children played a role in the epidemic. Researchers in the _Pediatrics_ study hoped parents would be convinced by the effectiveness of vaccines, which they wrote represent “one of the greatest public-health achievements of the 20th century for their role in eradicating smallpox and controlling polio, measles, rubella and other infectious diseases in the United States.” Study co-author Courtney Gidengil, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School, [told](http://www.afp.com/en/news/vaccines-have-low-risk-serious-side-effects-study) AFP that while some parents may still be reluctant, the research should “increase some trust in the vaccine process and the trust between parents and their health care provider.” ## Transcript A new survey from University of Chicago shows half of Americans buy into medical conspiracy theories. So I had horrible allergies as a kid. Was it because I was vaccinated as an infant? I don't know. Maybe it was the mercury they drilled into my teeth. Good example, Bill. The study authors asked 1, 351 adults if they were aware of six common medical conspiracy theories and whether they believed in them. About half of the respondents believed at least one of the conspiracies presented to them, and more than half of the group already knew about three of the six theories. So in case you're curious, and of course you are, here are the six theories participants were asked about. 1, The FDA prevents people from receiving natural cancer cures. 2, Health officials know cell phones cause cancer. 3, Genetically modified food was purposefully designed to shrink the world's population. 4, The CIA deliberately infected many African- Americans with HIV. 5, Fluoride masks all the chemicals companies dump into our water supply. And finally, doctors know vaccines cause autism and other problems but don't care. The most well known and consequently, most believed of the conspiracies were that the FDA prevents natural cures, cell phones cause cancer, and vaccines cause autism. The most recognized theory though was about the link between vaccines and autism. 67 % knew about it, and 20 % believed it. In a LiveScience article study, author Eric Oliver noted the prevalence of conspiracy theories of all varieties in American culture. He said, an obsession with the unknown could be an evolutionarily driven trait, explaining, if you hear a noise in the bush, it's much more adaptive to believe that there's a predator there than not. But researchers say the theories have very real effects. Those who believed in conspiracy theories were more likely to avoid traditional medical practices, including visiting a dentist, using sunscreen, and getting flu shots. And actually, some of the theories don't seem that far fetched in light of several ethically corrupt moments in the U. S. 's history. The most famous of which could be the mid- century Tuskegee Syphilis Study, when several hundred impoverished men were unknowingly given syphilis and then not given treatment. 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