CDC Revises Vaccine-Autism Language on Safety Page

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its vaccine safety webpage on November 19, altering longstanding language that stated vaccines do not cause autism spectrum disorder. The revision, directed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now asserts that the claim is not evidence-based because studies have not fully ruled out the possibility of a link between infant vaccines and autism. The change occurred in Washington, D.C., and has sparked widespread criticism from public health experts who say it contradicts decades of research.

Kennedy confirmed in an interview with The New York Times that he personally instructed the CDC to make the update, emphasizing gaps in research on certain vaccines given in the first year of life, such as those for hepatitis B and diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. He stated that public health officials cannot definitively say vaccines do not cause autism, adding, "The phrase 'Vaccines do not cause autism' is not supported by science." The revised page also notes that studies supporting a potential link have been ignored by health authorities and mentions ongoing HHS assessments into autism's causes, including...