Autism, Rubella and the Rising Fear of Vaccines

Every day, my family lives with the impact of a disease that most Americans have largely forgotten: Rubella.

My adult son’s birth mother had rubella during her pregnancy. Thanks to widespread vaccinations, there hasn’t been a major outbreak of the virus in the United States since the mid-1960s. But for my family, rubella isn’t in the past. It’s part of our present.

The disease (sometimes referred to as German measles) disrupted my son’s brain development. As a result, he was born with a significant intellectual disability, deafness, and minimal language abilities. His disabilities are similar to those faced by people with autism with an intellectual disability. He will never drive a car, read a book, or live on his own. Today, he lives a meaningful and successful life, but he will always require a high level of support.

In my professional life, rubella matters, too. As an autism researcher, I’ve watched with concern as unfounded fears about a link between childhood vaccines and autism have returned.

It's a terrible irony that parents who avoid vaccinations for fear of autism are instead increasing their children's risk for diseases like rubella, which can cause serious disabilities. Vaccines have an excellent safety record, especially weighed against the risks associated with diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella.

Sadly, fears have led to a decline in the childhood vaccinations that prevent measles, mumps, and rubella—the MMR vaccine. Vaccination rates will likely continue to drop now that funding for state vaccination efforts has been reduced. This is opening the door to a resurgence of diseases we hoped to leave in the past. As I write this, several states are experiencing measles outbreaks, and Texas also just reported a case of rubella.

Much remains to be learned about the causes of autism. Understandably, people have questions about what has led to the increase in the number of children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The reasons are complex. While there appears to be a strong genetic component, no single gene causes autism. Over one hundred genes and other genetic conditions, such as chromosomal abnormalities, have been associated with autism. While various environmental theories have been proposed, little conclusive evidence supports any specific environmental cause.

Exposure to viruses may also be a factor. We know that a fetus being exposed to a virus like rubella can cause deafness, blindness, and intellectual disability. According to studies published in BMC Public Health, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, there is some evidence that viruses like rubella can play a role in autism. It's also likely that improved awareness and diagnosis of autism are contributing to the rise in reported cases.

But the science is clear on one point: Vaccines don’t cause autism. Instead, vaccines are highly effective at preventing diseases like rubella that can be deadly or have serious, lifelong consequences.

For decades, the CDC has been an essential source of autism research. In April, the agency published a report that is the most comprehensive view of the state of autism among children in the United States. Generally published every two years, the report showed that one in 31 children in the United States is now expected to receive a diagnosis of autism, an increase from one in 36 in the previous 2023 report. While the steady rise underscores the urgent need to better understand autism’s complex causes, the rhetoric surrounding its release may also add fuel to the fire of unfounded fears of vaccines.

Thanks to vaccines, rubella infections haven’t posed a significant health problem in the United States for more than 50 years. However, if viruses like rubella do increase the chances that a child will have autism, then the girls who are not vaccinated today may grow up to have children with the kind of disabilities my son has.

My son hasn’t been diagnosed with autism, but many of the challenges he lives with are similar to the challenges people with autism and intellectual disability face. I often wonder what his life would be like if he had not been exposed to rubella. Thankfully, few parents need to ask this question today. For it to stay that way, the CDC must remain a source of science-based information about autism and vaccines.