THERE is no evidence to support a link between the controversial MMR injection and the development of autism in children, research suggests.

Concern about a reported link between the triple vaccine and the disorder has led to a drop in the number of children being vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella in Britain.

But research funded by the Medical Research Council, and published in The Lancet, found no evidence of a link.

Controversy over the jab was first sparked after a small-scale study published in The Lancet and led by Andrew Wakefield suggested a link with autism and bowel problems in 1998. But large-scale studies failed to find any evidence of a link and Dr Wakefield’s research was later discredited.

The latest study looked at the vaccination records of 1,294 children found to have autism or other pervasive development disorders (PDDs) between 1987 and 2001 in England and Wales.

These children were compared with a control group of 4,469 children of the same sex and similar age who were registered with the same GP practices but did not have autism.

The researchers, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, were unable to find evidence of an association between MMR and autism or other PDDs.

Public concern about the MMR jab has led to coverage of children before the age of two falling from around 92 per cent in 1995-96 to 82 per cent in 2002-03.

Vaccination is currently below the level required to avoid epidemics of measles — a potentially life-threatening infection. Outbreaks have already been seen in areas of the UK with very low uptakes of the vaccine.

Liam Smeeth, who led the research, said he hoped that the findings would help to boost public confidence in the jab.

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