Are vaccines causing Autism in children? See what studies say

Hyderabad: A tweet that claims vaccines are causing autism in children has gone viral.

There are always some people who doubt the efficacy of vaccines. Taking the recent example of the Covid-19 vaccines. There was much speculation and misinformation. The root cause of this distrust towards vaccines, which are lifesaving, is lack of correct information and abundance of such baseless posts on social media.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests.

FACT CHECK

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has refuted the viral claim about vaccines causing autism. "Some people have had concerns that ASD might be linked to the vaccines children receive, but studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing ASD. The National Academy of Medicine, formerly known as Institute of Medicine, reviewed the safety of 8 vaccines to children and adults. The review found that with rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe," it clarified.

A 2013 study titled 'Increasing exposure to antibody-stimulating proteins and polysaccharides in vaccines is not associated with risk of autism' evaluated the association between autism and the level of immunologic stimulation received from vaccines administered during the first 2 years of life.

The study found that "no increased risk was found for autistic disorder or ASD with regression."

It is evident that vaccines do not cause autism in children. Such misinformation may lead people to refrain from taking vaccines and may lead to lifelong diseases that could have been protected if vaccines were taken on time.

Hence, the claim is false.