The WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety reviewed 31 studies published from 2010 to 2025 and concluded there is no evidence that vaccines cause autism. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "Vaccines do not cause autism," and stressed their life-saving value. The CDC's recent website wording suggesting uncertainty drew strong criticism, and WHO noted that studies suggesting a link suffered serious methodological flaws.
WHO Rebukes US Suggestions Linking Vaccines To Autism After Review Of Recent Studies
Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaks at the opening ceremony of the 14th World Health Summit. Carsten Koall/dpa
The World Health Organization has strongly rejected recent suggestions from parts of the US public-health debate that vaccines may be linked to autism. The WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety published a report on Thursday after reviewing the most relevant studies from recent years.
“Vaccines do not cause autism,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva, adding that vaccines “are among the most powerful and transformative inventions in the history of humankind.”
The WHO committee examined studies published between 2010 and 2025. In total it assessed 31 studies from 11 countries, including five meta-analyses. Twenty of those studies found no evidence of any association between vaccines and autism.
Of the remaining 11 studies, nine came from a single US research group. According to the WHO, these studies showed "significant methodological issues," carried a very low strength of evidence and had a high risk of bias, limiting any conclusions that could be drawn from them.
The report follows a controversy in the United States after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted wording on its website that many read as raising doubts about vaccine safety in relation to autism. The CDC's updated text stated:
"The claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism."
That change prompted a sharp response from numerous US scientists and physicians who called the statement incorrect and potentially harmful to public health. The WHO's review aims to clarify the evidence for policymakers, clinicians and the public.
While acknowledging that vaccine safety monitoring must continue and that rare adverse events should be investigated transparently, the WHO emphasized that the bulk of high-quality evidence shows no causal link between vaccines and autism. The organization urged clear communication of scientific findings to maintain public trust in vaccination programs, which save millions of lives each year.
