The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety concluded that based on available evidence, no causal link exists between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders.
Published Dec 12, 2025 | 3:05 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 12, 2025 | 3:05 PM
Vaccine. (Representational image)
Synopsis: The WHO’s expert committee on vaccine safety reinforced that there is no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), directly contradicting recent controversial claims that have circulated online.
A new comprehensive analysis by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) expert committee on vaccine safety reinforced that there is no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), directly contradicting recent controversial claims that have circulated online.
The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety concluded that “based on available evidence, no causal link exists between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders”, reaffirming WHO’s longstanding position that childhood vaccines do not cause autism.
The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, which has provided independent scientific guidance to WHO since 1999, conducted its latest review on 27 November. The committee examined 31 primary research studies published between January 2010 and August 2025, drawing on data from multiple countries worldwide.
The analysis examined “the relationship between thiomersal-containing vaccines and ASD, and the association between vaccines in general and ASD”, according to WHO. The evidence “strongly supports the positive safety profile of vaccines used during childhood and pregnancy, and confirms the absence of a causal link with ASD”.
The committee additionally assessed potential health risks associated with vaccines containing aluminium adjuvants, reviewing studies from 1999 through March 2023. This included analysis of a large cohort study using nationwide registry data of children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018.
WHO stated that “the available high-quality evidence shows no association between the trace amounts of aluminium used in some vaccines and ASD, supporting the ongoing use of vaccines with aluminium adjuvants”.
Following the review, the committee reaffirmed “its previous conclusions from 2002, 2004 and 2012: vaccines, including those with thiomersal and/or aluminium, do not cause autism”.
“WHO advises all national authorities to rely on the latest science and ensure vaccine policies are grounded in the strongest available evidence,” the organisation stated. “Global childhood immunisation efforts represent one of the greatest achievements in improving lives, livelihoods and the prosperity of societies. During the past 50 years, childhood immunisation has saved at least 154 million lives.”
The WHO announcement comes amid renewed attention to vaccine misinformation, after Indian tech entrepreneur Sridhar Vembu sparked widespread criticism from health experts and former government officials for sharing controversial claims linking childhood vaccines to autism.
Vembu, founder of Zoho Corporation, tweeted: “Parents should take this analysis seriously. I believe there is increasing evidence that we are giving way too many vaccines to very young children. This is spreading in India too, and we are seeing a rapid increase in autism in India.”
Medical professionals and public health experts issued immediate rebuttals, warning that such misinformation poses a serious threat to public health in a country still dealing with vaccine-preventable diseases.
The persistent misconception linking vaccines to autism traces back to a discredited 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield, which suggested the MMR vaccine caused autism through gut issues. The study involved only 12 children and was funded by lawyers pursuing litigation against vaccine manufacturers.
Multiple investigations revealed falsified data, undeclared conflicts of interest and serious ethical breaches. The Lancet formally retracted the study in 2010, and Wakefield was struck off the medical register.
Large-scale epidemiological research has consistently found no causal connection between vaccines and autism. A Danish study of 537,303 children found identical autism rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, with no temporal link to MMR timing.
Meta-analyses involving over 1.2 million children have confirmed no association with MMR, thimerosal or multiple vaccines. In the United States, autism rates continued rising even after thimerosal was removed from vaccines, ruling out preservatives as a cause.
Major organisations, including the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO, the American Academy of Paediatrics and the Autism Science Foundation, all affirm that vaccines are safe and do not cause autism.
Current scientific understanding points to strong genetic and early developmental factors as the roots of autism spectrum disorders.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
