Measles vaccine effectiveness

May 1, 2025

Despite what some say, the measles vaccine saves lives and is not associated with autism. For Our World in Data, Saloni Dattani charts the effectiveness.

Side effects, like a mild fever or rash, do happen but are usually minor and short-lived. More serious reactions can occur, but these risks are rare and less likely than if the child actually got measles. It’s also important to be clear about what isn’t linked to the vaccine. The comprehensive evidence we have shows no association with autism, developmental delays, brain damage, or other conditions like asthma or diabetes.

Become a member. Support an independent site. Make great charts.

See What You Get

Favorites

How the American Work Day Changed in 15 Years

The American Time Use Survey recently released results for 2018. That makes 15 years of data. What’s different? What’s the same?

Most popular porn searches, by state

We’ve seen that we can learn from what people search …

Defense Against Dishonest Charts

This is a guide to protect ourselves and to preserve what is good about turning data into visual things.

Counting Happiness and Where it Comes From

Researchers asked 10,000 participants to list ten things that recently made them happy. I counted and connected the dots.