Overview
- Sridhar Vembu urged parents on X to treat a McCullough Foundation review as serious evidence that early and combined childhood vaccination drives autism risk.
- He said India gives too many shots to very young children and claimed autism is rising rapidly, adding that he will not delete his post.
- The report he cited claims 79% of examined studies support an autism link and features authors Peter McCullough and Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 Lancet paper was retracted.
- Doctors in India and abroad condemned the claim as irresponsible, pointing to WHO, CDC and large epidemiological studies that find no causal link and affirm vaccine safety.
- Specialists say higher reported autism prevalence reflects improved detection and broader diagnostic criteria, warning that high-profile misinformation can erode routine immunisation in India.