Origins of the "Vaccines cause autism" hoax. In 1998, Andrew Wakefield released a paper claiming to have linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to the onset of autism. His work has since been described as “the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years."

Wakefield also had major financial conflicts of interest. While he was discrediting the combination MMR vaccine and suggesting parents should give their children single shots over a longer period of time, he was filing patents for single-disease vaccines.

The General Medical Council (the UK’s medical regulator) found that he had paid children at his son’s 10th birthday party to donate their blood for his research.

In deciding to take away his UK medical license, the General Medical Council said Wakefield acted with “callous disregard for the distress and pain the children might suffer.”

Autism researchers have shown decisively again and again that the developmental disorder is not caused by vaccines.

The #measles, #mumps, and #rubella #vaccine does NOT increase the risk of #autism and does not trigger autism in children who are at risk, according to a NEW study of over 650,000 children in Denmark. 🇩🇰 nbcnews.com/health/kids-he…

Danish researchers studied 1.2 million children from 1991 to 2010 looking to see if there is an association between #MMR #vaccine & #autism. The answer is still NO. statnews.com/2019/03/04/vac…