CDC Website Change on Vaccines and Autism Linked to Kennedy Jr.’s Direction
Recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website regarding the link between vaccines and autism have drawn sharp criticism from public health experts, and have been directly attributed to instructions from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The CDC website previously stated definitively that vaccines do not cause autism. It has now been altered to read: “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Kennedy Jr. confirmed he personally directed the CDC to make this change. While acknowledging that large-scale studies on vaccines like measles, mumps, and rubella, as well as research on the preservative thimerosal, have not established a link to autism, he asserted gaps remain in vaccine safety science. he stated, “The whole thing about ‘vaccines have been tested and there’s been this determination made’, is just a lie.”
The update has been widely condemned by medical professionals and scientists as a promotion of misinformation, reversing decades of work to encourage vaccine uptake.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health swiftly issued a statement Friday disputing the CDC’s revised position. The department stated there is “no new evidence to support” the change and deemed the modification “not accurate.” Thier statement highlighted that over 25 years of research, encompassing more than 5.6 million children across over 40 high-quality studies, has consistently found no connection between routine childhood vaccines and autism. This conclusion is supported by organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the California Department of Public health, the World Health Organization, and leading research institutions.
The Los Angeles County health department further explained that the rise in autism diagnoses is attributable to improved screening methods, broader diagnostic criteria, and increased awareness, not a link to vaccines. They emphasized that perpetuating the myth of a vaccine-autism link stigmatizes individuals with autism and their families.
