Autism and Vaccines

British Columbia Specific Information

Immunizations, also known as vaccinations, help protect you from getting an infectious disease. When you get vaccinated, you help protect others as well. Vaccines are very safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than an infectious disease.

For more information on immunizations, including routine childhood immunizations, travel vaccinations and flu vaccinations, see our Immunizations Health Feature and the B.C. Immunization Schedules.

For information about vaccine safety, visit ImmunizeBC. If your child was born in B.C., you should have received a Child Health Passport (PDF 415KB) that contains an immunization record. If you did not receive one, you can request one from your local health unit.

If you have questions or concerns about immunizations, speak to your health care provider or call 8-1-1 to speak to a registered nurse anytime, every day of the year.

Overview

There has been ongoing controversy surrounding certain vaccines and their relationship to autism. Some parents have been concerned that vaccines, specifically the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and preservatives used in other childhood vaccines, play a role in children developing autism. There have been a lot of false claims in the news. But thorough studies have found no link between vaccines and autism.^{footnote 1}

A lot of research has been and is being done to find out the cause of autism. Go to www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/seed.html to follow a very large study about the risks for autism and other developmental disabilities.

Because the exact cause of autism is not known, some parents will continue to have concerns despite the evidence. In these cases, parents should be aware of the risks of serious disease in children who are not vaccinated. In some areas, outbreaks of these dangerous diseases have occurred in people who have not been immunized.

Thimerosal in vaccines

Some parents have questioned whether mercury-containing thimerosal (used as a preservative in vaccines) might cause autism. Today, with the exception of some influenza (flu) vaccines, childhood vaccines used in Canada contain no thimerosal or only trace amounts. (The flu vaccine is available both with thimerosal as a preservative and preservative-free.) More importantly, studies have not found a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism.^{footnote 2,}^{footnote 3}

Health Canada keeps a list of all vaccines that are available in Canada and whether the vaccines contain thimerosal. Go to www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/canadian-immunization-guide-part-1-key-immunization-informa… to find the list.

Vaccine combinations

Some parents also questioned whether the MMR vaccine-which combines 3 vaccines into 1 injection-causes autism since symptoms of the disorder often become apparent about the time children start getting immunized.

In response to this concern, researchers in Europe, Canada, and the United States looked closely at this issue. Studies have looked at the timing of the vaccine and the vaccine itself and have found no link between the vaccines and autism.^{footnote 4}

It's risky if you don't vaccinate your child. Immunizations are important for many reasons. Lots of research has already been done, and research continues to show that vaccines are safe.

References

Citations

Institute of Medicine (2004). Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism. Executive Summary. Available online: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Immunization-Safety-Review-Vaccines-and-Autism.aspx.

Baker JP (2008). Mercury, vaccines, and autism: One controversy, three histories. American Journal of Public Health, 98(2): 244–253.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Vaccine safety: Thimerosal. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Concerns/thimerosal.

Demicheli V, et al. (2008). Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (4).