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Autism: Your Questions Answered

 
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Do vaccines cause autism?

Many parents worry that the small amount of mercury, called thimerosal, which is a common preservative in multidose vaccines, causes autism. Studies have not shown this risk to be true. Until 1999, vaccines given to infants to protect them against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and Hepatitis B contained thimerosal as a preservative. Today, with the exception of some flu vaccines, none of the vaccines, used in the U.S. to protect preschool-aged children against 12 infectious diseases, contain thimerosal as a preservative. The MMR vaccine does not and never did contain thimerosal. Varicella (chickenpox), inactivated polio (IPV), and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have also never contained thimerosal. The American Academy of Pediatrics and The Institute of Medicine agree that no vaccine or component of any vaccine is responsible for the number of children who are currently being diagnosed with autism. They conclude that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks.

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