IOM Report
In 2000, CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to put together an independent
expert committee (the Immunization Safety Review Committee) to
review evidence about whether vaccines cause certain health
problems and to report their findings and recommendations. The
committee studied evidence about 1) the theory that MMR
(measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine causes autism and 2) the theory
that vaccines with the preservative thimerosal cause
neurodevelopment disorders, including autism, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and speech or language delay. To
read the IOM report,
click here.
NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD)
NICHD has a website about
autism and vaccines, which includes research being done by
NIH. You can get more information about autism and autism
research related to vaccines by calling the NICHD clearinghouse
at 1-800-370-2943.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
NIAID funds
thimerosal research to better understand what happens to
thimerosal once it enters the body and how this compares with
current knowledge of methyl mercury pathways.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA’s website provides a thorough discussion of
thimerosal
in vaccines, along with frequently asked questions (FAQs)
to help you find the information you need quickly.