February 4, 2010 The Lancet Retracts Paper Linking Vaccine to Autism The Lancet has retracted a paper it published by Wakefield et al. According to the British Medical Journal, the paper “implied an association, later shown to be spurious, between gastrointestinal illness, the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and an autism-like disorder in a sample of 12 children.” The paper, appearing as it did in one of the UK’s most prestigious journals, was frequently cited in support of arguments that MMR vaccinations had a strong association with reported increased rates of autism and autism spectrum disorders. In making the announcement, the Lancet editors stated, "We fully retract this paper from the published record."   See also: The Lancent: Official Website CDC: Autism Spectrum Disorders

News Alerts Home RSS Feed Previous News Alerts Issue 02-25-2010: Report Shows States Do a Poor Job Delivering Dental Care to Disadvantaged Children Issue 02-04-2010: The Lancet Retracts Paper Linking Vaccine to Autism Issue 01-27-2010: US Teen Pregnancy Rate Increases After a Decade-Long Decline Issue 01-22-2010: Abnormal Lipid Levels in Adolescents Causes Concern for Heart Disease Issue 01-07-2010: National Influenza Vaccination Week Encourages Continuing Immunization Issue 12-17-2009: Training New Dental Professionals Shows Promise for Expanding Access of Care Issue 12-15-2009: Teen Use of Methamphetamines and Cigarette Smoking has Significantly Declined but Steady Marijuana and Prescription Drug Use Remain Areas of Concern Issue 12-09-2009: Head Start Programs Exceeding Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Requirements Issue 11-20-2009: USDA Report Shows Food Insecurity Was at its Highest in 2008 Issue 11-18-2009: Schools are Using Multiple Practices to Improve Student Academic Performance, Especially in High-Poverty, High-Minority Schools, According to GAO

© 2007 The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools • 202-466-3396 • chhcs@gwu.edu
Website design by Janin/Cliff Design, Inc. and development by Velir Studios