IT is more than 10 years now since a study suggested the MMR jab could lead to childhood autism.
The impact was massive and immediate among parents who refused to allow their children to have the triple vaccine providing protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
A number of subsequent studies failed to confirm any evidence of a link and the original research published in The Lancet by Dr Andrew Wakefield was later discredited.
It was as long ago as 1994 that a major research project funded by the Medical Research Council concluded there was no evidence to support a link with autism or any other pervasive development disorder.
But still the nagging unease has persisted, as demonstrated by new figures showing nearly 7,000 children in north Kirklees are at risk because they have not been vaccinated.
There should be enough evidence to allay any lingering fears about the safety of the MMR jab. Parents can trust this vaccination and give it to their children secure in the knowledge they are acting in their best interests.
