A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld last year's decision by a special vaccine court that vaccines do not cause autism. The case involved Michelle Cedillo of Yuma, Ariz. who has autism, inflammatory bowel disease and other disorders. Her parents insisted their daughter's health problems were caused by a measles vaccine given at 15 months, the Associated Press reported. They appealed the 2009 ruling by Special Master Denise Vowell, who said that the evidence of a vaccine-autism link "is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive." In its ruling Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals wrote "we have carefully reviewed the decision of the special master and we find that it is rationally supported by the evidence, well-articulated, and reasonable. We, therefore, affirm the denial of the Cedillos' petition for compensation," the AP reported. Even though scientists long ago concluded there's no evidence that vaccine causes autism, more than 5,500 families sought compensation through the U.S. government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
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