Kavarić: Autism has nothing to do with the MMR vaccine

Vaccines have made it possible for diseases that once claimed the lives of large numbers of children to become rare or almost completely eradicated today - said paediatrician Nebojša Kavarić, former director of the Podgorica Health Centre, in an interview with Dan.

According to him, vaccination is one of the most effective measures in modern medicine.

- Through vaccination, we primarily protect the child from diseases that can cause serious complications, but at the same time we also protect the community, particularly children who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons - Kavarić said.

Commenting on the resistance of some parents to the MMR vaccine, Kavarić said this should be understood as a serious issue of trust and communication, rather than addressed by condemning parents.

- Parents today receive an enormous amount of information, much of which is inaccurate or not scientifically substantiated. The paediatrician’s task is to talk to parents, address their concerns and enable them to make decisions about their child’s health based on verified medical facts - Kavarić said.

Asked whether there was any justification for linking the vaccine to autism, which is increasingly being diagnosed among children, Kavarić said there was not, adding that, according to the scientific evidence available to date, there is no causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

- This issue has been studied for decades in very large numbers of children, and relevant international health institutions have consistently confirmed the same conclusion. The higher frequency of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses is not evidence that they are caused by vaccination - Kavarić said.

Asked whether it is justified to make attendance at kindergartens conditional on mandatory vaccination, Kavarić said that children’s health and the protection of their health rights must always come first.

- As paediatricians, we support all measures which, in accordance with the principles of paediatric science and professional practice, contribute to higher and timely vaccination coverage, disease prevention, and better protection and promotion of children’s health. The manner in which these goals are achieved requires responsibility and cooperation between parents, the healthcare system, and all institutions responsible for protecting the rights and well-being of children - Kavarić concluded.