Questions? Call 888-624-8373

PAPERBACK
list:$28.00
Web:$25.20
add to cart

Rights & Permissions

Free PDF Access
topleft topright

Immunization Safety Review: Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine and Autism (2001)
Institute of Medicine (IOM)

Page
60
bottomleft bottomright
  E-mail
 Facebook
 Digg
 Stumble
 Twitter
More

The following HTML text is provided to enhance online readability. Many aspects of typography translate only awkwardly to HTML. Please use the page image as the authoritative form to ensure accuracy.

Page 60

done on risk communication, including a better understanding of trade-off issues and of the complexity of developing and explaining quantitative risk-benefit estimates. In the meantime, the committee urges CDC, FDA, NIH, AAP, and similar organizations to take to heart the serious concerns and earnest offers from the concerned public to help with information exchange and communication strategies.

Finally, the committee did not have time to address responsibly the appropriateness of alternative immunization schedules or practices, which might be requested in a clinical setting. This has been discussed by others, especially recently with regard to MMR vaccine, and is of great interest and concern to many.

Because the committee believes these to be issues that will emerge in many of its subsequent meetings, it will hold specific comments, conclusions, and recommendations for the future. The committee does pledge to address these matters over the next 3 years and will develop a mechanism for further input into its work in this area.

SUMMARY

The Immunization Safety Review committee concludes that the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship at the population level between MMR vaccine and ASD. However, this conclusion does not exclude the possibility that MMR vaccine could contribute to ASD in a small number of children. Because of the limitations of the evidence, the significant public concern surrounding the issue, the risk of disease outbreaks if immunization rates fall, and the seriousness of ASD, the committee recommends that continued attention be given to this issue. This committee has provided targeted research and communication recommendations. However, the committee does not recommend a policy review at this time of the licensure of MMR vaccine or of the current schedule and recommendations regarding administration of MMR vaccine.

REFERENCES

60 Minutes. The MMR Vaccine. November 12, 2000.

Afzal MA, Armitage E, Begley J, Bentley ML, Minor PD, Ghosh S, Ferguson A. 1998. Absence of detectable measles virus genome sequence in inflammatory bowel disease tissues and peripheral blood lymphocytes. J Med Virol 55(3): 243–249.

Afzal MA, Armitage E, Ghosh S, Williams LC, Minor PD. 2000a. Further evidence of the absence of measles virus genome sequence in full thickness intestinal specimens from patients with Crohn's disease. J Med Virol 62(3): 377–382.

Afzal MA, Minor PD, Schild GC. 2000b. Clinical safety issues of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Bull World Health Organ 78(2): 199–204.

Amir RE, Van den Veyver IB, Wan M, Tran CQ, Francke U, Zoghbi HY. 1999. Rett syndrome is caused by mutations in X-linked MECP2, encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2. Nature Genet 23(2): 185–188.

Andre FE, Peetermans J. 1986. Effect of simultaneous administration of live measles vaccine on the “take rate” of live mumps vaccine. Dev Biol Stand 65(6): 101–107.

Page
60