Edited by: TJVNews.com

More than two decades after it was decisively debunked, the claim that vaccines cause autism continues to haunt public discourse and confuse parents.

Despite the scientific consensus and repeated, large-scale studies demonstrating no connection between childhood vaccinations and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—  the claim which vaccine advocates call a “myth” will not die.

As The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, vaccine skepticism is once again resurging, even as the U.S. battles a disturbing uptick in measles outbreaks. What’s more, a new federal study exploring potential links between vaccines and autism is reportedly being initiated under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The decision is drawing sharp criticism from the scientific community, which views the effort as both redundant and potentially harmful.

“We will learn absolutely nothing with another study,” said Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence at Boston University, in comments reported by The Wall Street Journal. “We’ve ruled it out.”

At the heart of the vaccine-autism controversy is a single, is an allegedly discredited paper published in 1998. Based on data from just 12 children, the study which most sources claim falsely suggested a connection between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Although it was later retracted by The Lancet and its lead author Andrew Wakefield was stripped of his medical license, the paper ignited a wave of distrust that continues to ripple through society.

“That fraudulent study is still the foundation of most vaccine-related conspiracy theories,” The Wall Street Journal noted, despite the scientific community’s unequivocal rejection of its claims.

One of the reasons the alleged myth lingers, researchers say, is the absence of a definitive answer to what causes autism. In the absence of a clear explanation, some parents—especially those grappling with a recent diagnosis—search for proximate causes, and vaccinations, which often occur shortly before autism symptoms emerge, become an emotionally intuitive, albeit incorrect, scapegoat.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by a range of challenges in social communication, speech, and behavior. As was explained in The Wall Street Journal reoirt, Its prevalence has risen sharply over the past two decades, with 1 in 36 U.S. 8-year-olds now diagnosed with ASD, compared to 1 in 150 in 2000, according to the report in The Wall Street Journal.

But this rise does not imply an epidemic. Rather, researchers attribute it largely to increased awareness, improved screening, and expanded diagnostic criteria.

Screening often begins between 18 months and 2 years of age, a period that coincides with the administration of the MMR vaccine, which is typically given around the child’s first birthday. This timing has fueled speculation among some parents that the vaccine is to blame—despite rigorous evidence to the contrary.

“It’s an emotional leap, not a scientific one,” explained The Wall Street Journal. Parents see a temporal connection and assume causality, even when none exists.

More than two dozen large-scale studies have now examined the possible link between MMR vaccination and autism. Every single one has come to the same conclusion: There is no connection.

One of the most significant among them is a 2019 Danish study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers followed more than 600,000 children and found no increased risk of autism among those who received the MMR vaccine, as per the information provided in The Wall Street Journal report. The study was praised for its size, methodology, and transparency, and it reaffirmed earlier findings from similar studies conducted in the U.S., the U.K., and elsewhere.

Some vaccine skeptics have also raised concerns about thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was once used in some vaccines. But here too, the facts are unequivocal: the MMR vaccine has never contained thimerosal, and the preservative was removed from all childhood vaccines in the U.S. by 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to researchers cited by The Wall Street Journal, the leading factor is genetics. Both inherited traits and spontaneous genetic mutations during early development are believed to play a central role in ASD. Scientists have identified dozens of genes associated with autism, many of which govern brain development and neural connectivity.

Autism’s causes are multifactorial and complex, and while environmental influences may play a role, no credible study has ever demonstrated that vaccines are among them.

“We don’t know everything about autism, but we do know this: it is not caused by vaccines,” concluded Tager-Flusberg.

As The Wall Street Journal reported, measles cases are once again rising in communities with low vaccination rates, endangering children and immunocompromised individuals. The erosion of trust in vaccines—fueled in part by misinformation campaigns online—has made it harder for public health officials to protect the population.

One can also blame the skepticism on the vaccine zealotry of politicians who pushed the COVID vaccine to the point of forcing people to choose between their livelihood or not taking a COVID jab. “Jab or Job” policies  were traumatic to many people and turned them off to any vaccines

“This isn’t just about autism,” the Journal noted. “It’s about whether parents trust medicine—and whether preventable diseases are allowed to come roaring back.”