Leflaw.com

A report published in this month's issue of Pediatrics says the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe, refuting reports that it is associated with encephalitis, autism and aseptic meningitis. The study, conducted by Finnish researchers from the Hospital for Children and Adolescents in Helsinki, examined 535,544 MMR vaccination cases involving children 1 to 7 years of age, who had received a vaccination between November 1982 and June 1986. The number of incidences of the three associated disorders did not exceed the expected number of cases during the analyzed period. Physicians involved in the study insist their results "further ascertain the safety of MMR vaccination."

Young children are particularly vulnerable to measles, mumps, and rubella infections. Physicians suggest that children over the age of 12 months receive vaccinations against these infections. In addition, women of childbearing age and those people traveling abroad may wish to be vaccinated. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is an active immunizing agent that is administered to prevent infection and causes a person's body to produce its own antibodies.
The side effects of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine include, but are not limited to, difficulty in breathing or swallowing, hives, itching (especially feet and hands), reddening of skin (especially around the ears), swelling of the eyes, face, and inside of the nose, and unusual tiredness or weakness (often sudden or severe).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Health are currently investigating claims that the administration of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine may cause autism in young children. To date, a connection between autism and the vaccine is purely speculative.