A major study exploring the link between childhood vaccinations and autism has confirmed jabs do not cause the developmental condition—and may actually protect against it.
Researchers examined the health records of more than 1.2 million children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018, all of whom had received routine jabs.
Using data from Denmark’s nationwide Medical Birth Registry, they looked at whether being vaccinated increased the risk of developing any of 50 chronic conditions.
These included autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, allergies, asthma and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
As nearly all Danish children are vaccinated, researchers instead focused on how much aluminium each child received through their early jabs.
Aluminium is added to some childhood vaccines to help boost the immune response, and anti-vaccine campaigners have long claimed it may be harmful—particularly to the developing brain.
However, there has been little large-scale human data to test this.
Varying aluminium levels in vaccines offered to children allowed scientists to test if more exposure meant greater risk.
Researchers have now proved in a groundbreaking study that childhood inoculations do not cause autism as well as a number of other serious health disorders including asthma and ADHD
They found no significant increase in risk for any of the conditions examined—and for some, including autism, the risk was slightly lower in children who had received more aluminium.
The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, are the latest to debunk claims that vaccines—or the aluminium they contain—cause lasting harm.
Professor Anders Hviid, senior study author an expert in epidemiology at Statens Serum Institut—a sector of the Danish Ministry of Health—said that, as a parent, he understood the concerns about vaccine safety.
‘Our study addresses many of these concerns and provides clear and robust evidence for the safety of childhood vaccines,’ he said.
‘This is evidence that parents need to make the best choices for the health of their children.
Researchers found that even when children reached the age of eight and had been exposed to more vaccinations—and therefore more aluminium—there was no increased risk of the disorder.
In 2025, Danish children are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B, meningitis B, pneumococcal disease, measles, mumps, and rubella.
For decades parents have feared a potential link between autism and the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles. A few days later, some people develop small white spots on the inside of their cheeks and the back of their lips
Autism charities say it is unacceptable that so many children are now waiting for an autism assessment on the NHS
Doubts about the safety of the jab—offered to children aged one—were fuelled by disgraced ex-doctor Andrew Wakefield in 1998 after he claimed, in a since thoroughly discredited study, it was linked to an increase in cases of autism in children.
Mr Wakefield claimed that the first signs of the neurodevelopmental condition—characterised by challenges with social communication and repetitive behaviours—begin to manifest around 15-months-old, when the jab is offered.
He lost his license to practice as a doctor in 2010 when he was struck off by the UK’s medical regulator for ‘dishonest and irresponsible’ conduct.
The theory has been disproven by numerous studies since, but the legacy of these claims continue to cause issues.
It was revealed in recent weeks that there has been a slump in MMR vaccination rates, prompting health chiefs to urge parents to check their child’s immunisation status against the ‘forgotten’ but deadly illness measles, amid a rise in cases.
In the UK, the MMR vaccination figure stands at 85.2 per cent—a slight uptick on late 2024 but still one of the lowest in a decade.
The figure is also below the 95 per cent jab uptake experts say is key to preventing major outbreaks of incredibly contagious condition.
MMR vaccination uptake is a particular problem in certain parts of the country—with only around half of children living in some parts of London having had both jabs.
Similarly low levels are also seen in major cities in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.
UK researchers found autism diagnoses had risen by an ‘exponential’ 787% over 20 years. They said the rise could be due to increased recognition of the condition among experts particularly in diagnosing autism among girls and adults, but added an increase in cases of autism itself cannot be ruled out
Tragically, this week a child died of measles in Liverpool.
Experts now say without concerted action to improve vaccination rates it is a ‘tragic inevitability’ that recurrent outbreaks will occur resulting in further loss of ‘precious young lives’.
While the latest study helps further discredit claims that vaccines are linked to autism there has been undeniable increase in diagnoses in recent years.
Experts have previously noted a eight-fold increase in cases in recent decades.
British researchers have said worrying rise is likely due to increased awareness of the condition but have added an increase in prevalence could also be contributing.
An additional factor experts say could be influencing the rise is the retirement of Asperger’s syndrome.
This was once considered a separate condition but is now considered another form of autism.
However, others have pointed to the ‘wild-west’ of autism screening in England that could mean over-diagnosis could also be playing a part.
Last year a study revealed adults referred to some autism assessment facilities have an 85 per cent chance of being told they are on the spectrum.
Yet the figure can be as low as 35 per cent in other places, researchers at University College London found.
The latest figures suggest autism diagnoses have skyrocketed over the last three years with more than 200,000 people now waiting for an assessment in England.
Children now often have to wait over a year for an assessment said a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care, who claimed autistic children are being ‘let down by a broken NHS’.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said vaccine hesitancy remains to be one of the 10 biggest global threats to health.
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