WHO Reaffirms No Link Between Vaccines and Autism

The WHO vaccine safety committee confirms no connection between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder, based on new scientific reviews. The analysis involved 31 studies: 20 showed no link, while 11 with potential links had substantial biases. The WHO's findings challenge recent claims by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization's vaccine safety committee reinforced its stance that vaccines are not linked to autism spectrum disorder. The announcement follows rigorous analysis of scientific reviews that span over nearly a decade's worth of research.

The WHO's Global Advisory Committee assessed two comprehensive reviews of studies from 2010 to August 2025. These reviews scrutinized vaccines broadly and specifically targeted those containing thiomersal, a mercury-based preservative previously criticized for alleged links to autism—claims consistently refuted by scientific findings.

The committee determined that no causal link can be established unless multiple high-quality studies consistently present a statistical association, noting that 20 of 31 studies found no evidence tying vaccines to autism. Meanwhile, 11 studies proposing a possible link contained major methodological flaws and bias, posing questions to recent claims by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

(With inputs from agencies.)