A social media spat erupted on X between TheLiverDoc (Hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips) and Zoho Corporation's Chief Scientist Sridhar Vembu after the latter endorsed a claim linking childhood vaccinations to autism.
The claim was made by epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher who described vaccination as the 'dominant risk factor' for autism, a statement that quickly drew sharp criticism from many online users.
Dr Hulscher's post stated that his study was 'the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted on the causes of autism', concluding that vaccination was the leading cause. Dr Hulscher holds a master of public health degree with a specialisation in epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health
Vembu, tagging Dr Hulscher's post, commented, 'Parents should take this analysis seriously. I believe there is increasing evidence that we are giving way too many vaccines to very young children. This is spreading in India too and we are seeing a rapid increase in autism in India.'
Vembu's post drew immediate backlash, notably from TheLiverDoc, who is known for debunking health misinformation online.
In a detailed response, TheLiverDoc urged parents not to stop vaccinating their children and warned of the potential return of diseases such as polio and measles if immunisation rates dropped.
'Please do not stop vaccinating your children. You don't want polio to come back. You don't want measles to kill your child like it is doing in the US because boomer uncles in charge of US health departments have become anti-science,' TheLiverDoc wrote.
He went on to dismiss the credibility of the so-called study, claiming it was conducted by known anti-vaccination activists, funded by an anti-vaccine organisation and published on a website lacking peer reviews.
'The low IQ authors have selectively amplified weaker associations while dismissing robust epidemiological data from millions showing no vaccine-autism link,' TheLiverDoc added.
To support his argument, TheLiverDoc cited research (external link) demonstrating no link between vaccines and autism, including large-scale studies from Denmark involving over half a million children.
In his post, TheLiverDoc criticised Vembu personally, accusing him of spreading pseudoscience.
'These health illiterates have themselves taken these vaccines, given their children their vaccines and saw them enjoy longevity and now advise others to consider stopping vaccinations. How selfish and bigoted can this get?' TheLiverDoc asked.
Medical experts worldwide have repeatedly affirmed that vaccines are safe and that autism's causes are complex, involving genetic and environmental factors rather than immunisation.
The World Health Organisation has maintained in its September report (external link) that vaccines do not cause autism, with numerous peer-reviewed studies supporting this conclusion.
Earlier, TheLiverDoc took on actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu who promoted a supplement brand on Instagram, whose product she claimed has NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) that helps boost NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) levels.
He criticised her claims and called her a 'science illiterate movie celebrity'.
© 2025