Overview
- WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there is no causal link between vaccination and autism based on the organization’s latest safety review.
- The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety assessed 31 studies from 2010–2025 across several countries, with 20 studies and five meta-analyses finding no association.
- Eleven papers suggesting a link—nine from the same U.S. group—were judged to have major methodological flaws, very low evidence strength and high risk of bias.
- The findings cover immunization in children and during pregnancy, including vaccines with thimerosal or aluminum, which the WHO said do not cause autism.
- The statement challenges a recent CDC website change ordered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as experts warn U.S. vaccine skepticism is rising alongside a measles outbreak of more than 1,400 cases.