Vaccine Court Decision

On February 12, 2009 the federal "vaccine court" rejected claims that either the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine or thimerosal in vaccines caused children's autism.

The vaccine court which is shorthand for the Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, administers a system that since 1988 has overseen all claims for compensation due to injury from vaccinations.

This ruling is a major setback for the more than 5,000 cases in which families claim that the MMR vaccine, either alone or due to the mercury-based thimerosal preservative in the vaccine, caused a child's autism.

Lawyers for the families and Department of Health and Human Services (the defendant in the suit) agreed to argue three test cases. In these cases, the vaccine court agreed to decide whether there was sufficient evidence to blame vaccines for autism -- and whether to pay damages to the families.

The decision, in all three cases, is no. The court formally rejected arguments that either the MMR vaccine or thimerosal caused the children's autism.

Although huge amounts of scientific evidence were heard in the case, the vaccine court's decision is a legal ruling and not scientific proof although the overwhelming amount of scientific studies have also supported this decision.