Division of Immunization

Vaccine Safety

MDHHS continually reviews evidence and the scientific literature to stay aware of issues related to vaccine safety and effectiveness.

The overwhelming body of evidence clearly shows there is no causal link between vaccines and autism. The recent update to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites suggesting that vaccines may cause autism does not appear to be based on new evidence. MDHHS agrees with leading experts, including the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in their assessment of the evidence.

In a statement, AAP president Susan J. Kressly said, “Since 1998, independent researchers across seven countries have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear and unambiguous: There’s no link between vaccines and autism.”

The AAFP has also issued a statement: “Vaccines do not cause autism. Decades of rigorous research have failed to provide credible scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism. Vaccines are among the most effective tools we have to keep people, especially infants and children, healthy and out of hospitals. Continued claims about a vaccine-autism link risk public health by causing people to delay or defer vaccination out of fear.”