Redux: Autism and Vaccines

If you own a television or read the news, then by now you've no doubt heard the latest on autism and vaccines. Andrew Wakefield, the man who first proposed the link between the MMR jab and autism, has been declared a fraud (again). The vaccine wars are not new; I started writing about them in 2006. For anybody interested in how the debate has changed (and not changed) over the years, here are links to two of my earliest features on the subject:Shot of Fear (Nature Medicine, Nov. 2006): Spooked by reports that vaccines might cause diseases such as autism, many parents choose not to vaccinate their kids. But when their decision endangers others, should the government step in?Mercury Rising (Nature Medicine, Aug. 2007): Parents of children with autism are mounting a vicious campaign against scientists who refute the link between vaccines and autism.