Last Updated on December 15, 2022 by Neelam Singh
Quick Take
A social media post claims vaccines cause autism. We fact-check and found the claim to be False.
The claim
A Twitter post claims vaccines cause autism. This social media post further says that the decision of getting your child vaccinated is in your hands.
The post is embedded here for reference:
Fact Check
What is autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disability caused by abnormal brain functioning. People with ASD have restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests. Also, they have problems with striking social communication and interaction.
As of now, research is unable to find the exact cause of autism. A defect in genes and any prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal environmental factors can cause autism.
Do vaccines cause autism?
No. vaccines do not cause autism. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has collated research to show that vaccines do not cause autism.
Research done by The National Academy of Medicine found that except for rare exceptions, vaccines are very safe and do not cause autism. A research paper published in 2013 also showed vaccinated children are not at a higher risk of developing ASD.
Why it is believed that vaccines cause autism?
We found two conspiracy theories that have made some people think that vaccines cause autism.
Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) conspiracy theory began in 1998 after a research paper claimed that the MMR vaccine caused autism. However, the paper itself later was officially labeled ‘fraud’ by England’s General Medical Counsel.
The thimerosal conspiracy theory claimed that vaccines contain thimerosal that causes autism. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative used to prevent germs from contaminating multidose vials of vaccines. No evidence to date proves thimerosal causes autism.
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