Is bias in science hiding the truth about autism’s causes?

In a Politico interview, Del Bigtree claims that vaccine studies are biased, don’t compare fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and ignore rising health problems like autism and cancer. He also argues that pharmaceutical companies control the research to hide possible risks.

Bigtree has a long history of spreading false information about vaccines, and he has worked closely with Andrew Wakefield, the discredited former doctor who started the false claim that vaccines cause autism. He played a key role in producing the film Vaxxed with Wakefield, which pushed his false claims that vaccines cause autism.

Many studies have compared vaccinated and unvaccinated people and found no link between vaccines and autism. A large 2019 Danish study followed over 650,000 children and found no connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, even in kids with a family history of autism. It used nationwide health records to track children for years and compared vaccinated and unvaccinated groups while controlling for other factors like genetics and birth complications.

The study also checked if autism cases spiked right after vaccination or if MMR triggered autism in certain children but found no evidence of either. Unlike what anti-vaxxers claim, this research was independent, not funded by drug companies, and used strong scientific methods to ensure accurate results.

The findings confirm that MMR does not cause autism, does not increase autism risk in any group, and does not lead to autism clusters after vaccination, making it one of the strongest studies proving that vaccines are safe.

Another meta-analysis came to the same conclusion. This study analyzed data from over 1.2 million children in five large studies and more than 9,000 children in smaller case-control studies, making it one of the most powerful investigations on the topic.

The results clearly show that vaccines, including the MMR vaccine and ingredients like thimerosal, do not cause autism or increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder. This research includes data from multiple independent studies conducted in different places with large, diverse groups of children. Since this study reviews multiple high-quality studies instead of relying on isolated or flawed research, it provides strong evidence that the claim that vaccines cause autism is false.

Autism is linked to genetics and prenatal development, not vaccines. Studies show that if one identical twin has autism, there is a high chance the other twin will, too, even if they were never vaccinated. Research also shows that brain differences in autistic children start developing before birth, long before any vaccines are given. Scientists have studied many possible causes, and vaccines are not a possible cause.