Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine

Vaccines have revolutionised modern medicine and have helped to reduce the spread of – and in some cases even eradicate – deadly diseases. There are effective immunisation programmes in most European countries, yet vaccination coverage has been decreasing in Europe in the 21st century. Two possible explanations for declining immunisation levels are vaccine hesitancy and the fading memory of severe health threats posed by vaccine-preventable diseases. For example, protection against measles, made possible by vaccination, is now largely taken for granted, while the increased use of social media has fuelled a rise in the prominence of vaccine-related disinformation, leading to an increase in vaccine hesitancy. One of the studies still used as an anti-vaccine argument is a 1998 article in the British medical journal ‘The Lancet’, claiming to have found a link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and autism. Twelve years later the study was retracted. The research was deemed fraudulent, based on misrepresented data and scientific misconduct. The lead author was struck off the medical register. The motives for the article’s publication have also come under scrutiny. However, by the time the study was removed from the scientific record, it had already massively fuelled the global anti-vaccination movement.