Recent research has shown that when one child is diagnosed with autism, there’s an increased genetic risk that the child’s siblings could also be autistic. And though the scientific and medical communities insist there’s no research showing that vaccinations can cause autism, the parents of autistic children can be hesitant to vaccinate younger siblings as a precaution. Researchers have found vaccination rates for children with autistic siblings are about 10% less than children with no autistic siblings.

But a new study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association should set their minds at ease.

Researchers studied more than 95,000 children and found that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine does not increase the risk of autism (ASD). The researchers paid particular attention to children who had an older sibling with autism, and found “no evidence that receipt of either 1 or 2 doses of MMR vaccination was associated with an increased risk of ASD.”

It’s not surprising some parents of autistic children have been hesitant to vaccinate younger siblings. Even though the myth has been thoroughly debunked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other well-respected health organizations, the misinformation continues to spread. Just look at Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s tour promoting the junk science documentary Trace Amounts, which tries to connect vaccines and autism.

As we’ve repeated time and time again on this blog the very minor chance of vaccine-related injury is far outweighed by the benefits of vaccination in preventing deadly disease.