The Medical Research Council today publishes a government-funded autism review and concludes that the controversial MMR vaccine was not a cause of the condition.

The report confirms a well-established genetic cause of autism and found some cases related to viral infection.

The MRC said: "In relation to the combined MMR vaccine, we conclude from our review that the current epidemiological evidence does not support the proposed link of MMR to Autistic Spectrum Disorders."

The study, commissioned in March this year, found more children than originally thought suffer from a disorder in the "autism spectrum", known as ASD's, and incorporating Asperger syndrome; the number is estimated as 60 in every 100,000 children.

The report recommends to the department of health that future studies of ASD's should include the experiences of sufferers, as well as larger population studies and more research on defining ASDs and the environmental effects combined with genetic causes.

Health minister Jacqui Smith said: "The report offers a firm foundation on which further research programmes can be built and I hope the findings stimulate the research community to develop proposals to address the key issues raised in the review.

"We welcome the MRC group's confirmation that the evidence does not support a causal link between MMR and ASDs. Parents should feel reassured that MMR is the safest way for them to protect their children," she said.