CDC reverses its stance, says ‘Vaccines do not cause autism is not an evidence-based claim’
The CDC website changed its stance to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion of vaccines not causing autism.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its official website to recast its long-held assertion that “vaccines do not cause autism,” declaring instead that this claim is not evidence-based.
The revision was made public on November 19, marking a departure from the agency's decade-old public health messaging and aligning with United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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A reversal in messaging
The CDC admits under the new language that “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” They have added that certain studies suggest a link between vaccination and autism, which has been “ignored by health authorities.”
The agency had previously maintained a firm conclusion that there was no link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder.
However, the webpage still retains the original bold header, “Vaccines do not cause autism”, because of a prior agreement with Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee.
{{/usCountry}}However, the webpage still retains the original bold header, “Vaccines do not cause autism”, because of a prior agreement with Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee.
{{/usCountry}}The anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, formerly led by RFK Jr., approved of the change, calling it a long-overdue acknowledgement.
Political climate and Policy ramifications
{{/usCountry}}The anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, formerly led by RFK Jr., approved of the change, calling it a long-overdue acknowledgement.
Political climate and Policy ramifications
{{/usCountry}}The move comes amid growing controversy around RFK Jr., a longtime vaccine sceptic who has repeatedly pushed a link between vaccines and autism.
{{/usCountry}}The move comes amid growing controversy around RFK Jr., a longtime vaccine sceptic who has repeatedly pushed a link between vaccines and autism.
{{/usCountry}}This signals a political interference in scientific communication.
{{/usCountry}}This signals a political interference in scientific communication.
{{/usCountry}}Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the website will now reflect “gold standard, evidence-based science” and that HHS is launching a “comprehensive assessment” of autism’s causes, including biologic mechanisms and possible causal links.
{{/usCountry}}Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the website will now reflect “gold standard, evidence-based science” and that HHS is launching a “comprehensive assessment” of autism’s causes, including biologic mechanisms and possible causal links.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier this year, Kennedy fired every member of the CDC's powerful Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, and installed his own group in their place. Even while safety concerns over the preservative thimerosal, which is used in a small percentage of flu vaccines, have also been refuted, the new advisory council called for its removal in one of its initial moves.
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This could increase health risk and vaccine hesitancy
According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, vaccination rates in the U.S. are already fragile. Such a reversal from a leading health agency could threaten to erode public trust in vaccines and stall immunization efforts.
Declines in vaccination coverage could lead to dangerous outbreaks of preventable diseases.
Some commentators note that earlier dips in immunization were linked to the rise of debunked concerns around vaccines and autism, per KBPS.
Public health experts criticize the move
Public Health experts have strongly criticized the update, calling it misleading and scientifically unsound.
Dr Susan J. Kressly, president of the American Academy of Paediatrics, warned that by promoting doubts about vaccine safety, the CDC is undermining one of the most powerful tools in public health, routine immunization, as reported by KBPS.
She also stated, “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.”
According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, the Autism Science Foundation also expressed alarm. They said, “No environmental factor has been better studied as a potential cause of autism than vaccines … The new statement shows a lack of understanding of the term ‘evidence.’”
It is also being reported that some current and former CDC officials were not consulted before the update. According to Demetre Daskalakis, a former senior CDC leader, career scientists were “blindsided” by the change.
