WHO reaffirms vaccines do not cause autism amid US misinformation

• WHO analysis confirms no link between vaccines and autism.
• CDC website changes sparked controversy among public health experts.
• Anti-vaccine rhetoric continues to spread despite scientific evidence.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that vaccines do not cause autism, countering persistent claims circulating in the United States.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Thursday in Geneva that a new analysis by the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety found no causal link between vaccines and autism.

"Today, WHO is publishing a new analysis… that has found, based on available evidence, no causal link between vaccines and autism," Tedros said. The committee reviewed 31 studies conducted over 15 years in multiple countries, focusing on vaccines containing thiomersal and aluminum adjuvants.

"The committee concluded that the evidence shows no link between vaccines and autism, including vaccines containing aluminium or thiomersal," he added. This marks the fourth such review following previous analyses in 2002, 2004, and 2012, all reaching the same conclusion.

Tedros emphasized that while vaccines can cause side effects like any medical product, autism is not among them. The supposed connection traces back to a fraudulent 1998 study linking the MMR vaccine to autism, which was later retracted. "The study was later shown to be fraudulent and retracted, but the damage had been done, and the idea has never gone away," Tedros said.

The reaffirmation comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its website last month, introducing language that some experts said undermined its previous, scientifically-grounded stance. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal anti-vaccine advocate and US health figure, has repeatedly promoted unfounded claims linking vaccines to autism.

Tedros highlighted the life-saving impact of immunization over the past 25 years, noting that under-five mortality has fallen from 11 million deaths annually to 4.8 million, largely thanks to vaccines. "Vaccines are among the most powerful, transformative inventions in the history of humankind," he said. "Vaccines save lives from about 30 different diseases, including measles, cervical cancer, malaria, and more."