COVID during pregnancy may raise autism risk, study suggests

Published on : 03 Nov 2025, 3:17 am

NEW DELHI: A new study adds to the evidence that viral infections during pregnancy might contribute to a child’s likelihood of having autism. People who catch COVID while pregnant might have a higher likelihood of having a child who is later diagnosed with autism or another neurodevelopmental condition, a new study has found. The results add to previous research showing that, among other factors, infections in general during pregnancy are linked to autism risk for the child. They do not, however, suggest that everyone who has COVID while pregnant will have a child with autism.

“Even though there’s an increased risk for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, the absolute risk still remains relatively low, especially for autism,” says study