Debunked myths that vaccines cause autism are increasing stigma

As parents resist vaccines over vague potential harms, advocates call it a case of morals more than science'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to devote research dollars to the debunked myth that vaccines cause autism - legitimizing stigma not only around vaccines, but around autism itself.

Matthew Shallenberger, father to an 11-year-old autistic son in Tennessee, says this myth is harmful because it treats autism as some dreadful disease to avoid at all costs."