On Feb. 12, 2009, the Vaccine Court ruled that MMR vaccine, when administered with thimerosal-containing vaccines, does not cause autism.

The judge found that the families had not shown that their children’s autism was brought on by substances in the vaccines – either the measles virus in the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or its combination with thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was used in most childhood vaccines until 2001.

The only childhood vaccines today that have trace amounts of thimerosal are one DTaP and one DTaP-Hib combination vaccine.