The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health recognized the need for an independent group to carefully examine the hypothesized MMR-autism link and address other vaccine-safety issues as well, in order to give some guidance to themselves, health care providers, researchers, and a concerned public.

These agencies engaged the Institute of Medicine, which in turn appointed the Immunization Safety Review Committee, a 15-member body of health professionals with wide-ranging expertise in areas relevant to the problem. To preclude any real or perceived conflicts of interest, candidate members were subject to strict selection criteria that excluded anyone who had participated in research on vaccine safety, received funding from vaccine manufacturers or their parent companies, or served on vaccine advisory committees.

The results of the committee's assessment of the issue are described in this report titled Immunization Safety Review: Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine and Autism.

Click on the book cover to the right to view the report

Back to Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine and Autism Page
Back to Immunization Safety Review committee homepage