A new study has shown that a common childhood vaccine, the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, does not cause autism or gastrointestinal disorders. A previous study ten years ago had suggested that the measles vaccine was associated with gastrointestinal problems in children and that those problems subsequently resulted in autism.

According to one of the study leaders, "There was no evidence . . . MMR preceded either autism or GI problems.”

The study was published in the Public Library of Science One journal. The exact cause or causes of autism are unknown and continue to be the subject of intense research. Have a question about autism? Ask a peer or health professional at the Autism Community at Healia Communities.