He also combined the mumps shot with measles and rubella vaccines to create the MMR vaccine, licensed in 1971. Every time the Merck MMR vaccine goes into an arm, it is a father’s lasting revenge against a virus that made his daughter sick. There are numerous studies showing that the MMR shot does not increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder. In 1989, Japan introduced an MMR vaccine that used a different strain of the mumps virus. Japan introduced a combination measles-rubella shot in 2006 and an expert panel cleared an MMR shot this year, though it is not yet available.