No. Multiple large-scale studies and major health organizations worldwide have repeatedly found no causal link between vaccines and autism. The idea stems from a 1998 article published by gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield that described, through retrospective accounts by parents and physicians, eight children manifesting autistic symptoms after receiving the MMR vaccine. Though the paper was eventually retracted due to serious professional misconduct, financial conflicts of interest, and falsehood, and the author’s license was revoked, the idea had become a public concern because of the attention it gained from the media, politicians, and tort lawyers. Many methodologically sound studies, which included more than 1.8 million children, have since explored associations between autism and MMR vaccines and have consistently found none. Autism’s seemingly rapid rise can be explained by factors including broadening diagnostic criteria and increasing awareness and testing. This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one. Oklahoma Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Sources National Library of Medicne Vaccines are not associated with autism: an evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studiesWorld Health Organization WHO expert group’s new analysis reaffirms there is no link between vaccines and autismInstitute for Vaccine Safety Do Vaccines Cause Autism?National Library of Medicine Vaccination as a cause of autism—myths and controversiesYale Medicine Why More Adults Are Being Diagnosed with Autism The post Are vaccines a partial cause of autism, as Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested? appeared first on Oklahoma Watch. ...read more read less