The MMR vaccine is administered between the ages of 12 and 15 months. When a child develops autism, their parents describe the condition as a child growing up normally until they reach an age where a degenerative process begins. This problem usually occurs around age 2. Although the parents claim that the child was growing normally, many researchers do not believe that the child was growing normally before the age of 1 to 2 years, but some children go through a degenerative process and this usually occurs after administration of the MMR vaccine. The question is whether MMR has a true relationship with the development of autism or is it just a coincidence? Dr. Andrew Wakefield wrote an article in the Lancet journal in 1998 suggesting that the MMR vaccine causes autism. In his research, he discovered that the MMR vaccine was responsible for intestinal inflammation leading to the translocation of non-permeable peptides into the bloodstream. (American Academy of Pediatrics) This in turn transports them to the brain, causing the root cause of autism spectrum disorder to form. His research was called weak by pharmaceutical companies, governments and media companies and then discredited, earning him a reputation as a fraud. His article has since sparked a decade-long debate over autism spectrum disorders caused by the MMR vaccine. This caused many parents to withhold vaccinations from their children, which increased measles infections. Many studies and research projects have been conducted to determine the relevance between MMR and autism. Autistic patients were found to harbor increased numbers of measles antibodies when a study was conducted on several autistic patients. This study was published in the researchers' medical journal and it was in the middle of the article. It is also worth mentioning that many studies around the world have also concluded that the MMR vaccine is not a definitive cause of ASD. Has Dr. Wakefield's research revealed anything that could harm the medical industry? Drug manufacturers are known to hide damaging evidence from the public eye to protect their businesses. In addition to the decade-long debate over the link between MMR and ASD, there are still many studies and experiments being conducted suggesting that MMR vaccines are a potential cause of autism. National Immunization Program in a letter to the Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom, February 15, 2002. American Academy of Pediatrics, . No. Internet. March 7 2014.