Autism Spectrum Diseases: Genetics or Environment? Facts and Legends. Short look at the problem

Measles-mumps vaccinations might be responsible for the development of autism spectrum diseases (ASD), including high functioning autism, such as Asperger’s syndrome; that is what Wakefield et al. suggested in a paper in The Lancet twenty years ago [1]. Later, the Lancet Editors retracted this publication [2], due to the fact that Wakefield had „produced“ fake, falsified results, and that he was implicated in interests regarding material compensation from pharmaceutical companies producing vaccines to families with ASD. The Wakefield publication had the effect that consequently vaccination rates declined dramatically, and fuelled discussions about other environmental factors (bacteria, mercury, pesticides, etc.).