Website falsely claims that a California county’s autism rates are linked to vaccination

The myth that vaccines cause autism is pervasive and growing in popularity. Debunking messaging may emphasize that the 2020 study never mentions vaccines or makes any reference to immunization as a cause of disparities in autism diagnoses. In fact, the researchers posit that wealthy white families are increasingly choosing private care for their children and opting out of state services, which were the source of the study’s autism diagnosis data. Messaging may also highlight that the narrative that Marin County is anti-vaccine is nearly a decade out of date, as its childhood immunization has steadily increased since 2015 and now sits at 95 percent. Moreover, in 2021 and 2022, the county made headlines for having some of the highest adult and child COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country, with over 90 percent of adults and 80 percent of children 5 to11 vaccinated. Talking points may continue to explain that decades of research show no association between autism and vaccines and that vaccinated and unvaccinated children have autism at similar rates. 

Fact-checking sources: New York Times, CHOP