Vaccines and autism

Short description: False claims about correlation of vaccines and autism

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Extensive investigation into vaccines and autism spectrum disorder has shown that there is no relationship between the two, causal or otherwise,[1][2][3] and that vaccine ingredients do not cause autism.[4] Major health authorities, including the World Health Organization, the National Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[needs update] and the United States Food and Drug Administration, along with large-scale epidemiological research, reinforce the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe, that multiple concurrent vaccinations do not overwhelm the immune system, and that autism cannot be attributed to vaccination.

The scientist Peter Hotez researched the growth of the false claim and concluded that its spread originated with Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent 1998 paper, and that no prior paper supports a link.[5] Despite the scientific consensus for the absence of a relationship,[2][1][3] and the Wakefield paper's retraction, the anti-vaccination movement at large continues to promote theories linking the two.[6]

Celebrity endorsements, social media campaigns and selective reporting have fuelled the anti-vaccination movement and public misunderstanding of vaccines. Fringe political actions continue to promote debunked claims. A developing tactic appears to be citing irrelevant or dubious studies to support a questionable claim.[7]

## Contents

* 1 Claimed mechanisms
* 1.1 MMR vaccine
* 1.2 Thiomersal
* 1.3 Aluminium adjuvants
* 1.4 Formaldehyde
* 1.5 Vaccine overload
* 1.6 COVID-19
* 2 Celebrity involvement and social media
* 3 Public opinion
* 4 Political support in the US
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## Claimed mechanisms

The claimed mechanisms have changed over time, in response to evidence refuting each in turn.[8] Anti-vaccine groups claim that specific vaccine ingredients can cause autism. Some of the most frequently mentioned ones are thiomersal, aluminium adjuvants and formaldehyde.

### MMR vaccine

Main article: Social:MMR vaccine and autism

The idea of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism came to prominence after the publication of a paper by Andrew Wakefield and others in The Lancet in 1998. This paper, which was retracted in 2010 and whose publication led to Wakefield being struck off the British medical register, has been described as "the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years".[9]

In 2009 The Sunday Times reported that Wakefield had manipulated patient data and misreported results in his 1998 paper, thus falsifying a link with autism.[10] A 2011 article in the British Medical Journal describes the way in which Wakefield manipulated the data in his study in order to arrive at his predetermined conclusion.[11] An accompanying editorial in the same journal described Wakefield's work as an "elaborate fraud" which led to lower vaccination rates, putting hundreds of thousands of children at risk and diverting funding and other resources from research into the true cause of autism.[12]

On 12 February 2009 a special court convened in the United States to review claims under its National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program ruled that parents of autistic children are not entitled to compensation in their contention that certain vaccines caused their children to develop autism.[13]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),[14] the IOM of the United States National Academy of Sciences,[15] and the National Health Service[16] have all concluded that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. A systematic review by the Cochrane Library concluded that there is no credible link between the MMR vaccine and autism, that the MMR vaccine has prevented diseases that still carry a heavy burden of death and complications, that the lack of confidence in the MMR vaccine has damaged public health, and that the design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies are largely inadequate.[17] Further, an epidemiology study concluded that even children labelled high risk for autism, due to an older autistic sibling, that received the MMR vaccine resulted in no causal connection between the vaccine and autism or the increased risk of being diagnosed with autism.[2] The assumption that MMR vaccines cause autism is not isolated to the United States. A seven-year study was done in Denmark from 1991 to 1998 following children who received the MMR vaccine. The results of the study found that when comparing the vaccinated children to the unvaccinated children, the risk of autism in the vaccinated group was 0.92.[2] Also, the risk of another autism disorder was 0.83.[2] The study concluded there was no association between the MMR vaccine and autism.[2] The result held even when exploring the age of the child when the vaccine was given, the vaccination date, or the amount of time after the vaccine.[2]

### Thiomersal

Main article: Unsolved:Thiomersal and vaccines

Thiomersal is an antifungal preservative used in small amounts in some multi-dose vaccines (where the same vial is opened and used for multiple patients) to prevent contamination of the vaccine.[18] Thiomersal contains ethylmercury, a mercury compound which is related to, but significantly less toxic than, the neurotoxic pollutant methylmercury. Despite decades of safe use,[19] public campaigns prompted the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to request vaccine makers to remove thiomersal from vaccines as quickly as possible on the precautionary principle. Thiomersal is now absent from all common United States and European Union vaccines, except for some preparations of influenza vaccine.[20] Trace amounts remain in some vaccines due to production processes, at an approximate maximum of 1 microgramme, around 15% of the average daily mercury intake in the US for adults and 2.5% of the daily level considered tolerable by the World Health Organization (WHO).[21][22] The action engendered concern thiomersal could have been responsible for autism.[20]

The idea that thiomersal was a cause or trigger for autism is now considered disproven, as incidence rates for autism increased steadily even after thiomersal was removed from childhood vaccines.[8] The cause of autism and mercury poisoning being associated is improbable because the symptoms of mercury poisoning are not present and are inherently inconsistent with the behaviours or symptoms of autism.[23] There is no accepted scientific evidence that exposure to thiomersal is a factor in causing autism.[24] A study by the CDC exploring mercury poisoning in vaccines concluded no signs of poisoning were present.[23]

Under the US Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) of 1997, the FDA conducted a comprehensive review of the use of thiomersal in childhood vaccines. Conducted in 1999, this review found no evidence of harm from the use of thiomersal as a vaccine preservative, other than local hypersensitivity reactions.[25] Despite this, starting in 2000, parents in the United States pursued legal compensation from a federal fund arguing that thiomersal caused autism in their children.[26] A 2004 Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee favored rejecting any causal relationship between autism and vaccines containing thiomersal[15] and rulings from the vaccine court in three test claims in 2010 established the precedent that thiomersal is not considered a cause of autism.[27][28][29]

### Aluminium adjuvants

As mercury compounds in vaccines have been definitively ruled out as a cause of autism, some anti-vaccine activists propose aluminium adjuvants as the cause of autism.[30] Aluminium adjuvants simulate immune receptors and cause a strengthened response to the antigen in a way that is natural to the body.[31] Aluminium adjuvants can be used in the form of soluble salts, alumina, and hydroxide.[31] There is no substantial scientific evidence that aluminium adjuvants are linked to autism. When confirming that aluminium adjuvants are not dangerous in vaccines, it was concluded that there was no traces of aluminium in the children's hair or blood over the minimum level of risks according to the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.[31]

Anti-vaccination activists commonly cite a number of papers which claim that there is in fact a link.[32] These are mainly published in predatory open access journals,[33] where peer-review is virtually non-existent. Work conducted by Christopher Shaw, Christopher Exley and Lucija Tomljenovic has been funded by the anti-vaccination Dwoskin Family Foundation.[34] The work published by Shaw et al. has been discredited by the World Health Organization.[35]

A review study published in the open-access journal Toxics suggests a link between early aluminium adjuvant exposure and autism; and concludes that there is a lack of fundamental scientific data demonstrating that aluminium adjuvants are safe.[36]

### Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is another assumed link between vaccines and autism. Even though the assumption still circles around, formaldehyde has been used safely in the diphtheria vaccines to detoxify the bacteria used to make the vaccine.[37] Another way it can be used is to inactivate the disease to be used in the vaccine.[37] Formaldehyde can be found naturally in the body and environment. The human body uses formaldehyde to build amino acids and to generate the energy it needs.[37] Formaldehyde is present in many ordinary things; it can be found in preservatives, materials used to build, and many products in homes.[37] There is no safety concern for formaldehyde in vaccines. The most concerning repercussion is cancer after exposure to high levels of formaldehyde in the air.[37] The amount of formaldehyde in some vaccines is less than what the body naturally produces.[37]

### Vaccine overload

Following the belief that individual vaccines caused autism was the idea of vaccine overload, which claims that too many vaccines at once may overwhelm or weaken a child's immune system and lead to adverse effects.[38] The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center compiled a list of vaccines recommended to children throughout history. They found that from 1985-1994 the recommended number of vaccines was eight.[39] The schedule for 2011 to 2020 revealed the recommended number of vaccines was fourteen.[39] Vaccine overload became popular after the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the United States accepted the case of nine-year-old Hannah Poling. After showing signs of developmental delay as a toddler, Poling was diagnosed with encephalopathy caused by a mitochondrial enzyme deficit, which her family argued was triggered by multiple vaccines she received at nineteen months old.[8][40] There have been multiple cases reported similar to this one, which led to the belief that vaccine overload caused autism. However, scientific studies show that vaccines do not overwhelm the immune system.[8] In fact, conservative estimates predict that the immune system can respond to thousands of viruses simultaneously.[8] It is known that vaccines constitute only a tiny fraction of the pathogens already naturally encountered by a child in a typical year.[8] Common fevers and middle ear infections pose a much greater challenge to the immune system than vaccines do.[41] Other scientific findings support the idea that vaccinations, and even multiple concurrent vaccinations, do not weaken the immune system[8] or compromise overall immunity[42] and evidence that autism has any immune-mediated pathophysiology has still not been found.[8]

Impact of vaccines on diphtheria, meningococcal, polio, haemophilus influenzae type B, measles, and pertussis

Vaccines recommended from 1985-1994:[39]

* Diphtheria
* Tetanus
* Pertussis
* Measles
* Mumps
* Rubella
* Polio
* Hib
* Hepatitis B (1991)

Vaccines recommended from 2011-2020:[39]

* Diphtheria
* Tetanus
* Pertussis
* Measles
* Mumps
* Rubella
* Polio
* Hib
* Hepatitis B
* Varicella
* Hepatitis A
* Pneumococcal
* Influenza
* Rotavirus

Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines were given together as MMR.[39] Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines were given together as the DTaP.[39] Regarding the latter, Sanofi Pasteur’s Tripedia DTaP vaccine automatically included autism on a long list of “adverse events” in 2005 due to unverified reports from consumers, although such reports did not "establish a causal relationship" to the vaccine at any point.[43][44]

### COVID-19

A study, initially published in 2024, claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine could generate autism traits in male offsprings of rats. The study was criticised early on by scientists for its dubious methodology,[45] and has been, in the summer of 2025, retracted on the grounds of methodological concerns.[46]

## Celebrity involvement and social media

Some celebrities have spoken out on their views that autism is related to vaccination, including: Jenny McCarthy, Kristin Cavallari,[47] Robert De Niro,[48] Jim Carrey,[49] Bill Maher[50] and Pete Evans.[51]

McCarthy, one of the most outspoken celebrities on the topic, has said her son Evan's autism diagnosis was a result of the MMR vaccine.[52] She authored Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism and co-authored Healing and Preventing Autism.[53] She was also president of Generation Rescue, a non-profit organisation that claimed vaccines made children autistic and promoted various unproven treatments.[54][55][56][57] Generation Rescue ceased operations in December 2019.[58]

In September 2015 in the United States, Donald Trump, in a debate for the Republican Party's nomination for the 2016 US presidential election (which he won), stated he knew of a 2-year-old child who had recently received a combined vaccine, developed a fever, and subsequently autism.[59]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr is one of the most notable proponents of the anti-vaccine movement. Kennedy published the book Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak: The Evidence Supporting the Immediate Removal of Mercury--A Known Neurotoxin--From Vaccines.[60] He is also the former chairman of the board of Children's Health Defense, a group and website widely known for its anti-vaccination stance.[61]

A study conducted through Facebook explored the results of anti-vaccine ads and pro-vaccine ads. The study found that even with a similar number of anti-vaccine ads and pro-vaccine ads, the middle point in the data set of ads per buyer was higher in anti-vaccine ads.[62] Another difference the study revealed was that the anti-vaccine ads were primarily targeted toward women and young adults who possibly had children.[61] The pro-vaccination ads were presented evenly to different ages.[61]

## Public opinion

In December 2020 a poll of 1,115 adults in the United States found 12% of respondents believed there is evidence vaccinations cause autism; 51% believed there is no evidence; and 37% did not know.[63]

An updated survey, conducted in March 2023, concluded that adults think the MMR health benefits are high/very high, at 72%, and the risk of side effects is low/very low, at 64%.[64] There has also been a drop from 2019 in US adults who believe students in schools should be fully vaccinated. The 2023 survey showed that a decrease to 70% of US adults agree that children should be vaccinated for school but an increase to 28% believe that it is the parent's right to choose if the child is vaccinated for school.[64]

## Political support in the US

In March 2025 the United States Department of Health and Human Services, overseen by Kennedy, hired the vaccine critic David Geier to conduct a study on the long-debunked link.[65] Geier holds no medical credentials,[66] and according to the BBC the idea of "[blaming] rising rates of autism on vaccines ... has been categorically debunked by large scientific studies over many years".[67]

Under the leadership of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, an anti-vaccine activist, the CDC website on "Autism and Vaccines" was changed from its earlier September 2025 version[68] to a new version on 19 November 2025.[69] The revised webpage makes several false statements, contradicting long-standing scientific evidence that supports the absence of a causal link between childhood vaccines and autism.[70] According to CDC staff, required scientific vetting for all public-facing agency webpages was entirely bypassed in this instance.[71] As the Wall Street Journal points out, "… no association has been proven between vaccines and autism".[72] Also, numerous medical associations and professionals immediately issued statements protesting against the changes, including experts from: the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP); Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Stanford University School of Medicine; the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development;[73] the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and the Autism Science Foundation.[74][75]

## See also

* Discrimination against autistic people

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Vaccines are not associated with autism: an evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies". Vaccine 32 (29): 3623–9. June 2014. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.085. PMID 24814559.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 DeStefano, Frank; Shimabukuro, Tom T. (2019-09-29). "The MMR Vaccine and Autism" (in en). Annual Review of Virology 6 (1): 585–600. doi:10.1146/annurev-virology-092818-015515. ISSN 2327-056X. PMID 30986133.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Adverse events following immunization: perception and evidence". Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases 20 (3): 237–46. June 2007. doi:10.1097/QCO.0b013e32811ebfb0. PMID 17471032. http://lib.ajaums.ac.ir/booklist/955899.pdf. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
4. ↑ "Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism Concerns" (in en-us). 2018-12-12. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html.
5. ↑ Peter J., Hotez (30 October 2018). "Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad". JHU Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-2660-0. OCLC 1020295646. https://books.google.com/books?id=MkpyDwAAQBAJ.
6. ↑ Cummins, Eleanor (February 2019). "How autism myths came to fuel anti-vaccination movements A timeline leading to the 2019 measles outbreaks.". Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/timeline-autism-myth-anti-vaccine/.
7. ↑ "Vaccines, Autism, and the Promotion of Irrelevant Research: A Science-Pseudoscience Analysis". Skeptical Inquirer 41 (3): 44–48. February 2016. https://www.csicop.org/si/show/vaccines_autism_and_the_promotion_of_irrelevant_research_a_science-pseudosc. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 "Vaccines and autism: a tale of shifting hypotheses". Clinical Infectious Diseases 48 (4): 456–61. February 2009. doi:10.1086/596476. PMID 19128068.
9. ↑ "The vaccine-autism connection: a public health crisis caused by unethical medical practices and fraudulent science". The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 45 (10): 1302–4. October 2011. doi:10.1345/aph.1Q318. PMID 21917556.
10. ↑ Deer B (2009-02-08). "MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism". Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5683671.ece.
11. ↑ "How the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed". BMJ 342. January 2011. doi:10.1136/bmj.c5347. PMID 21209059.
12. ↑ "Wakefield's article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent". BMJ 342. January 2011. doi:10.1136/bmj.c7452. PMID 21209060.
13. ↑ Vaccine court and autism:
* "Vaccine didn't cause autism, court rules". CNN. 2009-02-12. https://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/12/autism.vaccines/index.html?iref=allsearch.
* Theresa Cedillo and Michael Cedillo, as parents and natural guardians of Michelle Cedillo vs. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 98-916V (United States Court of Federal Claims 2009-02-12).
14. ↑ "Concerns about autism". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2010-01-15. http://cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Concerns/Autism/Index.html.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Immunization Safety Review Committee (2004). Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism. The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/10997. ISBN 978-0-309-09237-1. Bibcode: 2004nap..book10997I. https://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10997.
16. ↑ MMR Fact Sheet , from the United Kingdom National Health Service. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
17. ↑ Di Pietrantonj, Carlo; Rivetti, Alessandro; Marchione, Pasquale; Debalini, Maria Grazia; Demicheli, Vittorio (20 April 2020). "Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 4 (4). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004407.pub4. ISSN 1469-493X. PMID 32309885.
18. ↑ "Mercury, vaccines, and autism: one controversy, three histories". American Journal of Public Health 98 (2): 244–53. February 2008. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.113159. PMID 18172138.
19. ↑ "Thimerosal in Vaccines" (in en-us). 2019-01-24. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/index.html.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Thimerosal and vaccines—a cautionary tale". The New England Journal of Medicine 357 (13): 1278–9. September 2007. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078187. PMID 17898096.
21. ↑ "Mercury exposure and children's health". Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care 40 (8): 186–215. September 2010. doi:10.1016/j.cppeds.2010.07.002. PMID 20816346.
22. ↑ "Vaccine Safety & Availability – Thimerosal in Vaccines". FDA. 5 April 2019. https://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Gerber, Jeffrey S.; Offit, Paul A. (2009). "Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses". Clinical Infectious Diseases 48 (4): 456–461. doi:10.1086/596476. PMID 19128068.
24. ↑ "Immunizations and autism: a review of the literature". The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences 33 (4): 341–6. November 2006. doi:10.1017/s031716710000528x. PMID 17168158.
25. ↑ "Vaccine Safety & Availability – Thimerosal in Vaccines" (in en). https://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228#tox.
26. ↑ "Cases in vaccine court—legal battles over vaccines and autism". The New England Journal of Medicine 357 (13): 1275–7. September 2007. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078168. PMID 17898095.
27. ↑ "Update 1-US court rules again against vaccine-autism claims" (in en). Reuters. 2010-03-12. https://www.reuters.com/article/autism-vaccine-idUSN1218720720100312.
28. ↑ Salzberg, Steven. "Vaccine Court Ruling: Thimerosal Does Not Cause Autism" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/sciencebiz/2010/03/15/vaccine-court-ruling-thimerosal-does-not-cause-autism/.
29. ↑ Dyer, Clare (2010-03-16). "Thiomersal does not cause autism, US court finds" (in en). BMJ 340. doi:10.1136/bmj.c1518. PMID 20233774. https://www.bmj.com/content/340/bmj.c1518. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
30. ↑ Nerd, Gid M.-K; Health (2017-12-05). "Vaccines Don't Cause Autism". https://medium.com/the-method/vaccines-dont-cause-autism-4ea5b1836022.
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Conklin, Laura; Hviid, Anders; Orenstein, Walter A.; Pollard, Andrew J.; Wharton, Melinda; Zuber, Patrick (2021-05-01). "Vaccine safety issues at the turn of the 21st century" (in en). BMJ Global Health 6 (Suppl 2). doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004898. ISSN 2059-7908. PMID 34011504. PMC 8137241. https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/suppl_2/e004898.abstract.
32. ↑ Principi, N; Esposito, S (September 2018). "Aluminum in vaccines: Does it create a safety problem?". Vaccine 36 (39): 5825–31. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.08.036. PMID 30139653.
33. ↑ "Vaccines, Autism, and Retraction". 2017-05-10. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2017/05/10/vaccines-autism-retraction/.
34. ↑ "Dwoskin Foundation – Science-Based Medicine". https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/tag/dwoskin-foundation/.
35. ↑ "UBC stands behind vaccine studies discredited by WHO" (in en-CA). 2015-03-04. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/ubc-stands-behind-vaccine-studies-discredited-by-who/article23302328/.
36. ↑ Angrand, Loïc; Masson, Jean-Daniel; Rubio-Casillas, Alberto; Nosten-Bertrand, Marika; Crépeaux, Guillemette (2022-08-31). "Inflammation and Autophagy: A Convergent Point between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)-Related Genetic and Environmental Factors: Focus on Aluminum Adjuvants" (in en). Toxics 10 (9): 518. doi:10.3390/toxics10090518. ISSN 2305-6304. PMID 36136483. Bibcode: 2022Toxic..10..518A.
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 Research, Center for Biologics Evaluation and (2024-01-12). "Common Ingredients in FDA-Approved Vaccines" (in en). FDA. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/common-ingredients-fda-approved-vaccines#:~:text=Formaldehyde has a long history,used to make diphtheria vaccine..
38. ↑ "'Combined vaccines are like a sudden onslaught to the body's immune system': parental concerns about vaccine 'overload' and 'immune-vulnerability'". Vaccine 24 (20): 4321–7. May 2006. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2006.03.003. PMID 16581162.
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 39.5 Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of. "Vaccine History: Developments by Year | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia" (in en). https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/science-history/vaccine-history/developments-by-year.
40. ↑ Offit, Paul A. (2008-05-15). "Vaccines and Autism Revisited — The Hannah Poling Case". New England Journal of Medicine 358 (20): 2089–2091. doi:10.1056/NEJMp0802904. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 18480200. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0802904.
41. ↑ Immune challenges:
* "Branhamella catarrhalis: epidemiology, surface antigenic structure, and immune response". Microbiological Reviews 60 (2): 267–79. June 1996. doi:10.1128/MMBR.60.2.267-279.1996. PMID 8801433.
* "Immune response to acute otitis media in children. I. Serotypes isolated and serum and middle ear fluid antibody in pneumococcal otitis media". Infection and Immunity 9 (6): 1028–32. June 1974. doi:10.1128/IAI.9.6.1028-1032.1974. PMID 4151506.
42. ↑ Vaccine burden:
* "Bacterial infections, immune overload, and MMR vaccine. Measles, mumps, and rubella". Archives of Disease in Childhood 88 (3): 222–3. March 2003. doi:10.1136/adc.88.3.222. PMID 12598383.
* "Childhood vaccination and nontargeted infectious disease hospitalization". JAMA 294 (6): 699–705. August 2005. doi:10.1001/jama.294.6.699. PMID 16091572.
43. ↑ "FDA Didn't Issue New Statement On Vaccines And Autism - CBS Texas" (in en-US). 2018-03-08. https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/fda-didnt-issue-new-statement-on-vaccines-and-autism/.
44. ↑ "Autism is not listed as a side effect of vaccines on federal agency’s website" (in en). 2019-05-06. https://apnews.com/article/archive-fact-checking-4852910033.
45. ↑ Yandell, Kate (2024-01-26). "Viral Posts Misuse Rat Study to Make Unfounded Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines and Autism". Annenberg Public Policy Center. https://www.factcheck.org/2024/01/scicheck-viral-posts-misuse-rat-study-to-make-unfounded-claims-about-covid-19-vaccines-and-autism/.
46. ↑ Erdogan, M.A.; Gurbuz, O.; Bozkurt, M.F.; Erbas, O. (2025). "Retraction Note: Prenatal Exposure to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 Induces Autism-Like Behaviors in Male Neonatal Rats: Insights into WNT and BDNF Signaling Perturbations". Neurochemical Research 50 (4). doi:10.1007/s11064-025-04492-x. PMID 40682701.
47. ↑ "Kristin Cavallari Defends Anti-Vaccine Stance". 19 March 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/19/kristin-cavallari-vaccine_n_4994876.html.
48. ↑ "Robert De Niro defends discredited idea linking vaccines to autism". 13 April 2016. https://www.statnews.com/2016/04/13/de-niro-vaccines-vaxxed-autism/.
49. ↑ Kluger, Jeffrey (2 July 2015). "Jim Carrey, Please Shut Up About Vaccines". Time. https://time.com/3944067/jim-carrey-vaccines/. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
50. ↑ Tenbarge, Kat. "Bill Maher agreed with a controversial doctor, repeating a debunked theory that it was 'realistic' that vaccines have caused autism in children". https://www.insider.com/bill-maher-real-time-vaccines-cause-autism-anti-vaxxer-2019-11.
51. ↑ "Bent Spoon to celebrity chef Pete Evans – Australian Skeptics Inc". 2019-03-28. https://www.skeptics.com.au/2015/10/19/bent-spoon-to-celebrity-chef-pete-evans/.
52. ↑ "Jenny McCarthy: "We're Not An Anti-Vaccine Movement ... We're Pro-Safe Vaccine"". https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/jenny-mccarthy-were-not-an-anti-vaccine-movement-were-pro-safe-vaccine/.
53. ↑ Kluger, Jeffrey (2009-04-01). "Jenny McCarthy on Autism and Vaccines". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. https://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1888718,00.html.
54. ↑ "About Generation Rescue » Generation Rescue | Jenny McCarthy's Autism Organization". http://www.generationrescue.org/about.
55. ↑ Willingham, Emily. "On Autism, Environmental Toxicants, And Bias" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2014/02/20/on-autism-environmental-toxicants-and-bias/.
56. ↑ Willingham, Emily. "We Can Now Add Forced Sweating To The Faux Autism Treatment List" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2012/11/05/we-can-now-add-forced-sweating-to-the-faux-autism-treatment-list/.
57. ↑ "Jenny McCarthy's Autism Charity Has Helped Its Board Members Make Money Off Dangerous, Discredited Ideas" (in en-US). https://www.jezebel.com/jenny-mccarthys-autism-charity-has-helped-its-board-mem-1832461139.
58. ↑ "The 'Flu Shot Cheerleader' is back — with a warning about the anti-vaccine movement" (in en). 2023-08-04. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/desiree-jennings-flu-shot-anti-vaccine-media-rcna97724.
59. ↑ "Medical experts condemn Donald Trump for debate comments suggesting vaccines can cause autism". 18 September 2015. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/experts-condemn-donald-trump-remarks-vaccines-autism-article-1.2365112.
60. ↑ Hyman, Mark; Herbert, Martha R. (2014-08-04). Kennedy, Robert F.. ed. Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak: The Evidence Supporting the Immediate Removal of Mercury--a Known Neurotoxin--from Vaccines. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-63220-601-5.
61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 Smith, Michelle R; Reiss, Johnatan (May 13, 2021). "Inside one network cashing in on vaccine disinformation". https://apnews.com/article/anti-vaccine-bollinger-coronavirus-disinformation-a7b8e1f33990670563b4c469b462c9bf.
62. ↑ Jamison, Amelia M.; Broniatowski, David A.; Dredze, Mark; Wood-Doughty, Zach; Khan, DureAden; Quinn, Sandra Crouse (2020-01-16). "Vaccine-related advertising in the Facebook Ad Archive". Vaccine 38 (3): 512–520. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.10.066. ISSN 1873-2518. PMID 31732327.
63. ↑ Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon And Other Conspiracy Theories
64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 Pasquini, Cary Funk, Alec Tyson, Brian Kennedy and Giancarlo (2023-05-16). "Americans' Largely Positive Views of Childhood Vaccines Hold Steady" (in en-US). https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/05/16/americans-largely-positive-views-of-childhood-vaccines-hold-steady/.
65. ↑ Soucheray, Stephanie (March 26, 2025). "DC warns of major measles exposure; HHS names Geier to study autism and vaccines" (in en). https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/dc-warns-major-measles-exposure-hhs-names-geier-study-autism-and-vaccines.
66. ↑ George, Judy (March 27, 2025). "Who Is David Geier, the man leading federal autism-vaccine study?". https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/autism/114853.
67. ↑ Jim Reed, Why the world is watching RFK's fight with US health agency, BBC, 6 Sept. 2025.
68. ↑ "Autism and Vaccines". September 23, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism.html.
69. ↑ "Autism and Vaccines". November 19, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism.html.
70. ↑ Cirruzzo, Chelsea; Branswell, Helen; Payne, Daniel (November 21, 2025). "Under RFK Jr., CDC changes website to reflect vaccine skepticism" (in en-US). https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/nation/cdc-vaccine-site-adds-link-autism/.
71. ↑ Butler, Kiera (November 21, 2025). ""Embarrassing" and "horrifying": CDC workers describe the new vaccines and autism page" (in en-US). Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/11/embarrassing-and-horrifying-cdc-workers-describe-the-new-vaccines-and-autism-page/.
72. ↑ White, Liz Essley; Siddiqui, Sabrina (November 20, 2025). "CDC changes webpage to say vaccines may cause autism, revising prior language". Wall Street Journal.
73. ↑ "Vaccine Development | Texas Children's" (in en). https://www.texaschildrens.org/texas-childrens-global-health/programs/vaccine-development.
74. ↑ "Autism Science Foundation" (in en). https://autismsciencefoundation.org/.
75. ↑ Szabo, Liz; Bergeson, Laine (2025-11-20). "After unprecedented autism-vaccine messaging change, scientists, advocates say CDC no longer trustworthy" (in en). https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-vaccines/after-unprecedented-autism-vaccine-messaging-change-scientists-advocates-say-cdc.

* v
* t
* e

Artificial induction of immunity / Immunization: Vaccines, Vaccination, Infection, Biology:Inoculat, Inoculation (J07)

Development|

* Adjuvants
* List of vaccine ingredients
* Mathematical modelling
* Timeline
* Trials

Classes|

* Conjugate vaccine
* DNA vaccination
* Inactivated vaccine
* Live vector vaccine
* Attenuated vaccine
* Heterologous vaccine
* Subunit/component / Peptide / Virus-like particle
* Toxoid

Administration|

* Global:
* GAVI Alliance
* Policy
* Schedule
* Vaccine injury
* USA:
* ACIP
* Vaccine court
* Vaccines for Children Program
* VAERS
* VSD

Vaccines|

| Bacterial|

* Anthrax
* Brucellosis
* Cholera#
* Diphtheria#
* Hib#
* Leptospirosis
* Lyme disease‡
* Meningococcus#
* MeNZB
* Medicine:NmVac4-A/C/Y/W-135
* Pertussis#
* Plague
* Pneumococcal#
* PCV
* PPSV
* Q fever
* Tetanus#
* Tuberculosis
* BCG#
* Typhoid#
* Ty21a
* ViCPS
* Typhus
* combination: DTwP/DTaP

|

Viral|

* Adenovirus
* Flu#
* H1N1 (Pandemrix)
* LAIV
* Hantavirus
* Hepatitis A#
* Hepatitis B#
* Hepatitis E
* HPV
* Cervarix
* Gardasil
* Japanese encephalitis#
* Measles#
* Mumps#
* Medicine:Mumpsvax
* Polio#
* Sabin
* Salk
* Rabies#
* Rotavirus#
* Rubella#
* Smallpox
* Medicine:Dryvax
* Tick-borne encephalitis
* Varicella zoster
* chicken pox#
* Zoster vaccine
* Yellow fever#
* combination:
* MMR
* MMRV
* research:
* Chikungunya
* Cytomegalovirus
* Dengue
* Ebola
* Epstein–Barr virus
* Hepatitis C
* HIV

Protozoan|

* Malaria
* RTS,S
* research:
* Trypanosomiasis

Helminthiasis|

* research:
* Hookworm
* Schistosomiasis

Other|

* Androvax (androstenedione albumin)
* Cancer vaccines
* ALVAC-CEA
* BCG#
* Hepatitis B#
* HPV
* Cervarix
* Gardasil
* PROSTVAC
* NicVAX
* Ovandrotone albumin (Fecundin)
* TA-CD
* TA-NIC
* combination
* DTaP-IPV/Hib
* DTaP-IPV-HepB
* Hexavalent vaccine
* Pentavalent vaccine

Controversy|

* General
* MMR
* NCVIA
* Pox party
* Thiomersal
* Vaccines and SIDS
* Lancet MMR autism fraud
* Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services
* Alternative vaccination schedule

Related|

* Epidemiology
* Eradication of infectious diseases
* Every Child by Two
* List of vaccine topics

* #WHO-EM
* ‡Withdrawn from market
* Clinical trials:
* †Phase III
* §Never to phase III

* v
* t
* e

Conspiracy theories

List of conspiracy theories

Core topics|

* Cabals
* Civil
* Criminal
* Deception
* Espionage
* Fiction
* Political
* Secrecy
* Secret societies
* Urban legend

Psychology|

* Attitude polarization
* Cognitive dissonance
* Communal reinforcement
* Confirmation bias
* Locus of control
* Mass hysteria
* Paranoia
* Psychological projection

Deaths and
disappearances

| Assassinations and
avoidable accidents|

* Geoffrey Chaucer (1400)
* Princes in the Tower (1483)
* Kaspar Hauser (1833)
* Abraham Lincoln (1865)
* Ludwig II of Bavaria (1886)
* Franz Ferdinand (1914)
* Lord Kitchener (1916)
* Michael Collins (1922)
* Sergey Kirov (1934)
* Władysław Sikorski (1943)
* Subhas Chandra Bose (1945)
* Dag Hammarskjöld (1961)
* Patrice Lumumba (1961)
* Marilyn Monroe (1962)
* John F. Kennedy (1963)
* Lee Harvey Oswald (1963)
* Dorothy Kilgallen (1965)
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1968)
* Robert F. Kennedy (1968)
* Juscelino Kubitschek (1976)
* Pope John Paul I (1978)
* Airey Neave (1979)
* Francisco de Sá Carneiro and Adelino Amaro da Costa (1980)
* Olof Palme (1986)
* Zia-ul-Haq (1988)
* Vince Foster (1993)
* Yitzhak Rabin (1995)
* Diana, Princess of Wales (1997)
* Nepalese royal family (2001)
* Jeffrey Epstein (2019)
* Chan Yin-lam (2019)

|

False flag
attacks|

* USS Maine (1898)
* RMS Lusitania (1915)
* Reichstag fire (1933)
* Pearl Harbor (1941)
* USS Liberty (1967)
* Widerøe Flight 933 (1982)
* KAL Flight 007 (1983)
* Mozambican presidential jet (1986)
* Pan Am Flight 103 (1988)
* Oklahoma City bombing (1995)
* 9/11 attacks (2001)
* Advance knowledge
* WTC collapse
* Madrid train bombing (2004)
* London bombings (2005)
* Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (2014)

Other|

* RMS Titanic (1912)
* Phar Lap (1932)
* Gas chambers for Poles in Warsaw (1940s)
* Mass murder of German POWs after World War II (1940s)
* Adolf Hitler's death (1945)
* Yemenite Children (1948–54)
* Cairo Fire (1952)
* Dyatlov Pass incident (1959)
* Lost Cosmonauts (1950s / 1960s)
* Elvis Presley's death (1977)
* Jonestown (1978)
* Satanic ritual abuse (blood libel)
* MS Estonia (1994)
* Kurt Cobain (1994)
* Hello Garci scandal
* Osama bin Laden (2011)
* Lahad Datu, Malaysia standoff (2013)
* Zamboanga City crisis (2013)
* Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (2014)

New World Order|

| Topics|

* Bilderberg Group
* Black helicopters
* Bohemian Grove
* Chatham House
* Council on Foreign Relations
* Denver International Airport
* Eurabia
* Georgia Guidestones
* Illuminati
* Judeo-Masonic plot
* Jews
* The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
* Kalergi Plan
* Freemasons
* North American Union
* Catholics
* Jesuits
* Vatican
* ODESSA
* Rothschild family
* Skull and Bones
* The Fellowship
* Trilateral Commission
* Zionist Occupation Government

|

By region|

* Conspiracy theories in the Arab world
* Israeli animal theories
* Temple denial
* Conspiracy theories in Turkey

UFOs|

| General|

* Alien abduction
* Area 51
* Bermuda Triangle
* Black Knight satellite
* Cryptoterrestrial hypothesis
* Extraterrestrial hypothesis
* Interdimensional hypothesis
* Dulce Base
* Estimate of the Situation (1948)
* Majestic 12
* Men in black
* Nazi UFOs
* Project Serpo
* Reptilian humanoids

|

Incidents|

* Tunguska (1908)
* Foo Fighters (1940s)
* Los Angeles (1942)
* Ghost Rockets (1946)
* Maury Island (1947)
* Roswell (1947)
* Gorman Dogfight (1948)
* Mantell (1948)
* McMinnville (1950)
* Lubbock (1951)
* Washington, D.C. (1952)
* Barney and Betty Hill Abduction (1961)
* Kecksburg (1965)
* Westall (1966)
* Jimmy Carter (1969)
* Frederick Valentich (1978)
* Rendlesham Forest (1980)
* Cash-Landrum (1980)
* Japan Air Lines (1986)
* Varginha (1996)
* Phoenix Lights (1997)
* USS Nimitz (2004)
* Chicago (2006)

United States
government

* Apollo Moon landings
* Barack Obama's citizenship / religion / parentage
* Belgrade Chinese embassy bombing (1999)
* Black genocide
* CIA-Kennedy assassination link
* Allegations of CIA assistance to Osama bin Laden
* Dulles' Plan
* FEMA concentration camps
* HAARP
* Jade Helm 15 (2015)
* Montauk Project
* October Surprise (1980)
* Pizzagate (2016)
* Philadelphia Experiment (1943)
* Project Azorian (1974)
* QAnon
* Sandy Hook shooting (2012)
* Seth Rich (2016)
* Sovereign citizen / Redemption movement
* Vast right-wing conspiracy
* Vietnam War POW / MIA issue
* TWA Flight 800 (1996)

Health, energy,
environment

* Chemtrails
* Electronic harassment
* Free energy suppression
* Global warming
* HIV/AIDS origins
* HIV/AIDS denialism
* SARS (2003)
* Vaccine controversies
* Water fluoridation

Other|

* 2012 phenomenon
* Agenda 21 (1992)
* Andinia Plan
* Cancellation of the Avro Arrow (1959)
* Bible
* Clockwork Orange (1970s)
* Conspiracy Encyclopedia
* Cultural Marxism
* "Death" of Paul McCartney (1969)
* Judeo-Bolshevism
* Judeopolonia
* Homintern
* Homosexual recruitment
* Knights Templar
* Lilla Saltsjöbadsavtalet (1987)
* Love Jihad
* Mexican Reconquista
* New Coke (1985)
* Phantom time / New Chronology
* Red mercury
* Soft coup
* George Soros
* War against Islam
* White genocide

See also|

* Denial of mass killings (list)
* Genocide denial

Template:Vaccine safety

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