The World Health Organization released a new analysis that confirms vaccines do not cause autism. The findings counter rising claims in the United States that attempt to link routine immunisation to the developmental disorder.
The CDC recently updated its website with language that weakens its earlier science-based position on the issue. The shift alarmed public health experts, who have spent years addressing misinformation about vaccines. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current US health chief, has promoted inaccurate claims that vaccines and autism are connected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the latest review reinforces decades of scientific evidence. He stated that autism is not a vaccine side effect. The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety examined 31 studies from several countries over 15 years. These studies assessed vaccines containing thiomersal and aluminium adjuvants. The committee found no link between these ingredients and autism.
Tedros noted this is the fourth major review since 2002 to reach the same conclusion. He also highlighted that vaccines have helped reduce global under-five mortality from 11 million deaths to 4.8 million in 25 years.
A fraudulent 1998 study created the original false association between the MMR vaccine and autism. Its claims were later exposed, yet the myth continues to circulate. Tedros stressed that vaccines remain one of the most effective tools for preventing deadly diseases.
