FALSE

Hi friend! It’s totally natural to have questions about health, but the good news is that vaccines do not cause autism 1 2. This claim has been thoroughly investigated by scientists for decades, and the global consensus remains that vaccines are safe and effective 1 12. You might have noticed that the CDC website was recently updated in late 2025 to suggest a link, but experts from the National Medical Association and the Autism Science Foundation have clarified that these changes distort the science and are not evidence-based 6 8 9. The original report that started this myth was actually found to use fraudulent data and was retracted long ago 1. While a child’s autism symptoms might sometimes appear around the same time they receive their scheduled shots, experts explain this is a coincidence of timing rather than a cause 5. Leading medical groups continue to stand by the fact that no credible scientific evidence links the two 8 11.