No link found between autism, vaccine

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A Washington meeting of medical researchers has shown -- yet again -- there is no link between autism and a much maligned vaccine preservative.

The Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Science, gathering reviewed numerous studies indicating Thimerosal cannot be linked with autism, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Thimerosal, which contains minute amounts of mercury, has become a virtual whipping post among some autism activists, despite the lack of empirical evidence there is any causal relationship between Thimerosal and autism.

Autism is a poorly understood disorder marked by a variety of symptoms, most of them behavioral, such as difficulty interacting socially and repetitive, sometimes self-destructive, actions.

The number of children diagnosed with autism in the United States has been increasing sharply.

Although part of the increase is believed to be the result of a broadening of the definition of autism to include milder symptoms, that does not appear to explain all of it.

Most vaccines used in the United States no longer contain Thimerosal, though it is widely used outside the country.