FALSE

Numerous large-scale studies have directly debunked the claim that vaccines cause autism 7 12. Research including a study of over 95,000 children and an analysis of 1.2 million children has provided strong evidence against a causal link 7 11. The American Academy of Pediatrics states with certainty that vaccines are not one of the causes of autism 2. While the CDC updated its public language to reflect technical requirements of the Data Quality Act regarding absolute negatives 3, the National Medical Association and other experts maintain there is no credible scientific evidence to support the link 4 9. Scientific consensus confirms that neither the MMR vaccine nor vaccine ingredients like thimerosal are associated with the development of autism 10. The original study that sparked the controversy was flawed and lacked a control group 8.