Vaccines & autism — source pack
A compact research trail designed to save readers time. Wherever possible, cite the underlying primary or authoritative source rather than this page.
Core conclusion
WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety reaffirmed in December 2025 that available high-quality scientific evidence indicates that vaccines — including vaccines containing thiomersal or aluminium — do not cause autism.
Authoritative sources
WHO expert statement — 11 Dec 2025
Useful for: concise current conclusion and scope of the review.
Open source →
Useful for: concise current conclusion and scope of the review.
Open source →
WHO technical evidence review — 12 Dec 2025
Useful for: methods, study selection, quality assessment and detailed evidence base covering 2010–2025.
Open source →
Useful for: methods, study selection, quality assessment and detailed evidence base covering 2010–2025.
Open source →
WHO vaccine-safety Q&A
Useful for: thiomersal, aluminium, adverse-event causality and public-facing explanations.
Open source →
Useful for: thiomersal, aluminium, adverse-event causality and public-facing explanations.
Open source →
NHS MMR guidance
Useful for: current UK patient guidance, effectiveness, side effects and the NHS statement on autism.
Open source →
Useful for: current UK patient guidance, effectiveness, side effects and the NHS statement on autism.
Open source →
MHRA statement — 12 Aug 2026
Useful for: latest UK regulator position and description of continuous safety surveillance.
Open source →
Useful for: latest UK regulator position and description of continuous safety surveillance.
Open source →
Questions a researcher should ask
What study design was used? How was autism defined? How was vaccine exposure measured? Were relevant confounders controlled? Was the study adequately powered? Does the result replicate in other populations? How did systematic reviewers assess risk of bias?