No link between vaccines and autism, WHO confirms
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The World Health Organization’s vaccine safety committee said Thursday that new reviews of scientific evidence have found no link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder, confirming findings from more than two decades ago.
WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety evaluated two systematic reviews covering studies published between 2010 and August 2025.
reviews Vaccines tested in general And they contain thiomersal, a mercury-based preservative that has long been accused by critics of contributing to autism — a claim repeatedly refuted by scientific studies.
The committee said a causal relationship between vaccines and health outcomes is only considered when multiple high-quality studies consistently show a statistical association.
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According to WHO, 20 out of 31 studies found no evidence of a link between vaccines and autism.
Eleven studies suggesting a possible link were considered to have major methodological flaws and high risk of bias, the committee said.
Last month, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an interview with the New York Times that he personally directed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change their long-standing position that vaccines do not cause autism.
