MMR Decision Aid - FAQ 2 - Questions about the safety of MMR vaccine

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Will the MMR vaccine weaken my child's immune system?

Vaccines do not weaken or overwhelm the immune system.⁶ Vaccines strengthen the immune system by inducing protection against specific diseases of children and adults. Multiple studies have demonstrated that vaccinated children are at no greater risk of infection from everyday viruses or bacteria.²

Is there any proof of a link between autism, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the MMR vaccine?

The MMR vaccine does not cause inflammatory bowel disease or autism.
The media reported that there was a link between MMR and autism following the publication of a paper by Dr Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet (a medical journal) in 1998.⁷

Dr Wakefield's theory was that the MMR vaccine might lead to gut inflammation, which decreases the amount of vitamins and nutrients that children can absorb. As a result, he suggested, this might cause developmental disorders such as autism.
Dr Wakefield's 1998 study was of poor quality because it included only 12 vaccinated children and was based primarily on what parents could remember. Parents understandably are more likely to link changes in behaviour with memorable events like vaccination.

A number of more extensive, high quality studies, have tested Dr Wakefield's theory. They have compared large numbers of both vaccinated and unvaccinated children and have concluded there is no link between MMR vaccine and autism. The best studies looked at autism and MMR vaccination in 537,303 children born in Denmark and 300,000 children born in Japan over a number of years.^8-10

If you would like more detailed information on autism and MMR, click on the links below:

• NCIRS fact sheet – MMR vaccine, inflammatory bowel disease and autism - PDF
• UK MMR Fact Sheet
• Immunization Action Coalition – MMR vaccine does not cause autism

Should my child have separate vaccines?

It is not recommended that children receive separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines.

Andrew Wakefield suggested that it may be safer to have the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines individually, separated by an interval of 12 months.¹¹ He based this suggestion on his theory that it may be three live viruses in the one vaccine that triggered bowel problems and autism. A review by the World Health Organization, however, concluded that current scientific data do not support this theory.¹²

Giving a child separate vaccines means they have to get six injections instead of just two. They have more pain and more chance of minor side effects occurring. Spacing the separate measles, mumps and rubella injections by 12 months leaves children exposed to getting the diseases.

In Australia, separate measles and mumps vaccines are not available. Only the rubella vaccine is available separately.

What are other Australian parents doing?

Approximately 94% of Australian parents get their child vaccinated with the MMR vaccine at 12 months of age, and 83% are giving their child the second dose at 4 years of age.¹³

Ninety-five percent of people need to be vaccinated to stop the spread of measles in Australia.²

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