The link between vaccines & autism has been clear for over 25 years since the CDC did the VSD study.

Question

The link between vaccines and autism has been clear for over 25 years since the CDC did the VSD study
kirschsubstack.com/p/the-link-b...

Answer 1

The claim that vaccines are linked to autism is medically incorrect. Vaccines do not cause autism. The basis Steve Kirsch is pulling data off of shows there is no connection between vaccines and autism. The phrasing he uses can come off as misleading especially in the title referring to a “clear link for over 25 years”. There was never a link found and is likely referring to over 25 years of research coming up with nothing. https://kirschsubstack.com/p/the-link-between-vaccines-and-autism An article by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health explains that in 1998 Andrew Wakefield published an article that claimed vaccines do cause autism. Of course the article contained no real evidence and is simply a “description”. Later the article was pulled for fraud but it was surprising to the public as a very well respected medical figure wrote a convincing article and pushed his rhetoric to the public. There are 16 carefully designed studies linked in this article that have been done around the world. The findings are evident that there is no link to autism with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) or thimerosal in vaccines. Thimerosal is a vaccine preservative used from the 1930’s-1999. The ongoing fear of vaccines and autism link is likely pushed by parents who want answers for their children's diagnoses. This idea gives them a sure cause to blame rather than trusting scientifically backed data. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/the-evidence-on-vaccines-and-autism We have substantial evidence that autism is often linked to genetics. Unusual brain structure can even be spotted during pregnancy. Autism often runs in families. Siblings have a 15% more likely chance to have autism. Nieces and nephews of people with autism are 3x more likely to be at risk for autism. The environment in which children are in is being studied to understand the correlation of genetics and autism. Females are biologically made up with larger genetic chains that act as a defense to neurodivergent disorders. Making males 4x more likely to be diagnosed with autism. Factors that increase autism while in the womb can be having older parents, sickness during pregnancy, exposures like air pollution or drugs, and metabolic disorders including gestational diabetes. Autism rates may seem like they are increasing and people seem to lean to the accessibility of vaccines but really much of the criteria has broadened. In 2013 the definition of autism widened the scope of what autism was considered to be and therefore increased the rate of autism diagnoses. https://www.nfid.org/autism-and-vaccines-what-the-science-really-says/

Answer 2

This claim is untrue. The linked article is a Substack post done by a man (Steve Kirsch) who doesn’t have the necessary education or experience in the topic of vaccines. The study that he references, done by Thomas Verstraeten in 1999, is an outdated study with methodology issues. The Immunization Safety Review Committee examined the Verstraeten study in 2004 in the National Library of Medicine and came to the conclusions of rejecting a causal relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism and rejecting a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism. They explain that “potential biological mechanisms for vaccine-induced autism that have been generated to date are theoretical only.” (National Library of Medicine). 

Steve Kirsch does not remotely have enough credibility to be making this claim and has been proven to have spread misinformation at an FDA meeting against vaccines. False information about a relationship between vaccines and autism has been widely spread since COVID 19 began, but even the CDC has a clear statement saying that “there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder” (CDC).

Answer 3

This claim is completely biased and false. I first checked out the article that was linked to the claim. This took me to an article by a man named Steve Kirch who claimed that, “​​The relative risk for mercury (>25ug) given at 1 month of age and autism is 11.35 based on the VSD research done by CDC epidemiologist Thomas Verstraeten in 1999.” The link between vaccines and autism .This claim was very complicated but from what I can understand it is stating that Thermersal (a mercury based vaccine ingredient used to prevent germs) that is given to babies at one month old is linked to autism. This article had very little links to websites and the articles that were active had no scientific or government backing to prove the claims. The links provided such as The data is clear: the more vaccines you give your child, the more likely it is that they will develop chronic diseases including autism only had charts, newspapers, and some individuals opinions on vaccines. 

After looking up key words such as “VSD research done by epidemiologist”, there were multiple articles that came up including one from decades ago in 2003 from the National Institute of Health. They stated that “No consistent significant associations were found between TCVs and neurodevelopmental outcomes. “ National Institutes of Health. In addition after looking at the CDC’s official website a newer article from just a few months ago in December of 2024 states, “​​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.” and “Since 2003, there have been nine CDC-funded or conducted studies that have found no link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and ASD. These studies also found no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and ASD in children.” CDC.