The MMR vaccine controversy refers to claims that autism can be caused by the MMR vaccine, a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella. The scientific consensus is that no credible evidence links the vaccine to autism, and that the vaccine's benefits greatly outweigh its risks. The controversy led to sharp drops in vaccination rates in the UK and Ireland, which in turn led to greatly increased incidence of measles and mumps, resulting in a few deaths and some severe and permanent injuries. Claims of a connection between the vaccine and autism were raised in a 1998 paper in the respected British medical journal The Lancet. It was later discovered that Andrew Wakefield, the paper's lead author, had received major funding from British trial lawyers seeking evidence against vaccine manufacturers. Ten of the paper's twelve coauthors retracted its interpretation of an association between MMR vaccine and autism.