No evidence linking vaccines to sudden infant deaths: doctors

The claim linking SIDS -- the sudden death of a seemingly healthy infant, generally during sleep -- to vaccines was shared in a lengthy Malay-language Facebook post from April 25, 2025.

It begins by quoting a Dr Paul Thomas as saying: "97 percent of children die from SIDS 10 days after vaccination." It goes on to say that taking the full vaccination schedule puts children at risk of death, something that has been "known for decades" and that "deaths from vaccination are higher than deaths from disease".

The quotes are taken from an interview of Thomas, clips of which are included in the posts.

He is shown saying: "It's real clear, you get a vaccine, your infant dies."

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on May 19, 2025

Similar posts sharing the video also surfaced elsewhere on Facebook.

But the posts feature a doctor who had his licence suspended in 2020 on an emergency basis after Oregon state's medical board found evidence he had "violated standard medical practices related to vaccines", according to a report in local media (archived link).

"The Oregon Medical Board took the unusual step after reviewing evidence that alleged Thomas guided his patients away from getting the standard course of childhood vaccinations -- and that patients suffered vaccine-preventable diseases possibly as a result," read the report.

Thomas voluntarily surrendered his medical licence in 2022 (archived link).

The interview was also broadcast by Children's Health Defense -- a group that has previously spread vaccine falsehoods (archived link).

AFP has also  repeatedly debunked similar claims linking vaccination to SIDS.

Protective effect

According to the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada, the exact causes of SIDS are unknown but vaccines are neither a cause nor are they linked to SIDS (archived here and here).

The American Academy of Pediatrics also says there is no evidence of a causal relationship between immunisations and SIDS, adding that "vaccination may have a protective effect against SIDS" (archived link).

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia paediatrician Dr Norazlin Kamal Nor told AFP that given SIDS peaks at around two to four months -- when childhood vaccines are administered -- this could be used to mislead the public about a link (archived here and here).

Norazlin said multiple studies have shown there is no conclusive link between vaccines and SIDS, which she said can be reduced by avoiding "unsafe sleep environments" such as sleeping on the stomach and using soft bedding.

She called on parents to not be misled and vaccinate their children according to schedule to prevent potentially serious, infective illnesses.

"A reduction in vaccination rate can also lead to loss of herd immunity in the community and increase the risk of infections like measles," she added.

International bodies such as the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and health agencies like the CDC recommend infants and children be vaccinated before they come into contact with life-threatening diseases (archived here and here).

They also point out that vaccines go through rigorous safety tests, including clinical trials, before they are approved for the public (archived link).