Autism on the Increase

Guardian Unlimited 4apr01

A UK study indicating that autism is increasing.
Possible reasons for this increase are suggested to include: the MMR vaccine, pesticides, pollution etc...

The number of cases of autism diagnosed in the UK has increased tenfold over the past decade, according to a study published today. Researcher Dr Paul Shattock called for urgent action to determine the cause of the alarming increase, which he believes must be caused by a change in environmental influences.

Dr Shattock, director of the Autism Research Unit at the University of Sunderland, said that there was no proof that the controversial MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella was responsible. However, he insisted that research into MMR's possible role in causing autism had so far been inadequate and that a study planned by the Medical Research Council would not settle the issue. Many parents blame MMR for their child's autism, but the government and the vast majority of doctors believe the vaccination is safe. Today's study, an interim announcement of a full report to be published later this year, is the result of the analysis of 6,000 people on the Autism Research Unit's database.

Dr Shattock said that there were many possible reasons for the increase in autism cases, which was unlikely to be caused simply by changes in diagnostic practice. "Clearly there is increased awareness and understanding of autism and diagnostic criteria have changed slightly," he said. "But even allowing for this, all over the world there seems to be a big increase in incidence, and we have to look at all the things that have happened in the meantime to see what is likely to be relevant. "There are many possible reasons. Clearly, if there is an increase in numbers, there must be environmental factors involved and there are many possibilities, all of which need to be explored," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"Our theories include everything that has changed - pesticides, infectious disease patterns, vaccinations, plastics in bottles, the fact that we are eating different foods to what we were eating before, different bacteria in our intestines, heavy metals, pollution, anything really."

Asked if MMR could be to blame, he said: "The link has not been proven." But he added: "There is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence from thousands of parents in the UK and tens of thousands of parents around the world who all believe that this is a factor. And it has not been explored properly, that is why there is no proof one way or the other."

The planned Medical Research Council study would not settle the issue because it would not look at individual autistic children to see if the measles infection had persisted in their digestive systems following MMR vaccination.