BBC NEWS ONLINE Tuesday, 27 February, 2001, 17:30 GMT Autism levels are 'ten times higher' Autism levels have increased ten-fold over the past decade, according to research. Some people have linked the increase in autism to the controversial MMR jab, but others feel it could be linked to a number of environmental factors. The Autism Research Unit, which is part of the University of Sunderland, said it was unable to rule out a link with the MMR and autism. And researchers called for further investigations to look at what is causing the huge increases. "There are a lot of things that are a possibility for the cause of the increase, but we wouldn't rule out a link with the MMR jab" - Paul Shattock, of the Autism Research Unit Paul Shattock from the Autism Research Unit, said: "There are a lot of things that are a possibility for the cause of the increase, but we wouldn't rule out a link with the MMR jab. Full text: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1193000/1193046.stm <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1193000/1193046.stm>
