Multiple large-scale, peer-reviewed studies have found no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders.
Published Oct 28, 2025 | 2:27 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2025 | 2:41 PM
Sridhar Vembu
Synopsis: Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu sparked outrage by tweeting that childhood vaccines cause autism, citing a discredited McCullough Foundation report co-authored by Andrew Wakefield. Experts, including Dr Rajeev Jayadevan and ex-IAS Dr PV Ramesh, condemned the misinformation as dangerous cherry-picking, urging retraction to protect India’s vaccination programmes amid rising vaccine-preventable diseases.
Indian tech entrepreneur Sridhar Vembu sparked widespread criticism from health experts and former government officials on Tuesday after sharing controversial claims linking childhood vaccines to autism, prompting urgent calls for him to retract his statements and warnings about the dangers of vaccine misinformation.
Vembu, the founder of Zoho Corporation, tweeted support for a report claiming vaccines are the “dominant risk factor” for autism, stating: “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.”
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. https://t.co/AeiVaieYug
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) October 28, 2025
The statement drew immediate and sharp rebuke from medical professionals and public health experts, who warned that such misinformation poses a serious threat to public health in a country still grappling with vaccine-preventable diseases.
Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Convener of the Research Cell, Kerala State IMA, and Chairman of the Scientific Committee, IMA Cochin, emphasised the dangers of cherry-picked research masquerading as credible science.
“For people not trained in healthcare or biostatistics, it’s easy to be misled by alarmist claims that cite ‘medical research,'” Jayadevan told South First.
“‘Medical research’, however, is a mixed bag — ranging from large, peer-reviewed studies by subject experts published in reputed journals, to small, unpublished case reports at the opposite end of the quality spectrum. If one searched hard enough, one could always find isolated reports that appear to support almost any false or unscientific claim.”
Jayadevan highlighted the fundamental flaws in the McCullough Foundation report that Vembu cited, describing it as “a classic example of cherry-picking.”
“This is a fraudulent technique in research, selectively highlighting studies that fit a predetermined viewpoint, while ignoring or downplaying the rest. It places rigorous, peer-reviewed research and weak, potentially biased reports on the same platform— an invalid and misleading approach in itself,” he said.
Using a vivid analogy to illustrate how such misleading research operates, Jayadevan stated: “Imagine a hundred people insisting the sky is green, while one scientist publishes a high-quality paper proving it’s blue. If we simply count the claims without weighing their credibility, the paper will conclude the sky is green. That’s because the truth would be ‘outvoted’ by 1 to 100. That’s how such reviews distort scientific reality.”
Dr. Jayadevan also pointed out the troubling credentials of the report’s authors, noting that “one of the authors in this report is Dr Andrew Wakefield, who had published the now-infamous 1998 Lancet paper falsely linking MMR vaccines to autism. The paper was later retracted after investigators found data manipulation and ethical misconduct — one of the most notorious episodes in medical research history.”
“Finally, the foundation behind this report is openly known for anti-vaccine advocacy — a clear signal that the paper was written to fit their long-term narrative rather than to seek the scientific truth,” Jayadevan added.
The medical expert stressed the critical distinction between correlation and causation: “Despite a large amount of rigorous high-quality research, there is no evidence that vaccines cause autism. Claiming there is increased autism along with increased vaccination is like saying that more people are getting diabetes because more mobile towers are being built. The two are parallel but unrelated processes; in other words, correlation doesn’t always mean causation.”
Dr. PV Ramesh, former special chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh and retired IAS officer, issued an urgent public appeal to Vembu to retract his post immediately.
“Thiru Sridhar Vembu, I urge you to delete your post; you are being devastatingly reckless and pose a threat to public health. This is India with high burden of vaccine-preventable communicable diseases. How could you cite dodgy ‘western’ source to make such a sweeping recommendation? Stop peddling dangerous propaganda. Stick to what you know. Please don’t venture into #PublicHealth domain,” Ramesh stated.
Thiru @svembu, I urge you to delete your post; you are being devastatingly reckless and pose a threat to public health. This is India with high burden of vaccine-preventable communicable diseases. How could you cite dodgy ‘western’ source to make such a sweeping recommendation?… https://t.co/qO9KCiXbat
— Dr PV Ramesh (@RameshPV2010) October 28, 2025
In a separate post, Dr Ramesh was unequivocal about the scientific consensus: “No causal link between #vaccines and #Autism #ADHD. People, please don’t be misled by charlatans and Luddites.”
No causal link between #vaccines and #Autism #ADHD.
People, please don’t be misled by charlatans and Luddites @svembu @PMOIndia @MoHFW_INDIA @JPNadda https://t.co/mwsxnzAMcx— Dr PV Ramesh (@RameshPV2010) October 28, 2025
The controversy comes at a critical time for India’s vaccination programs, which have been instrumental in controlling and eliminating numerous deadly diseases from polio to measles. Health experts warn that vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation from influential figures can have devastating consequences, particularly in a country where vaccine-preventable diseases still pose significant threats.
The scientific and medical community remains united in its position: vaccines are safe, effective, and essential for protecting children and communities from serious diseases. Multiple large-scale, peer-reviewed studies have found no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders.
As misinformation continues to spread through social media platforms, health experts emphasise the importance of relying on credible, peer-reviewed research and established medical institutions rather than cherry-picked reports designed to support predetermined conclusions.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the responsibility that comes with having a large public platform, particularly when discussing matters of public health that can have life-or-death consequences for vulnerable populations.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
