This week, there was a significant change on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website. Where it previously said there was no link between vaccines and autism, it now reads: “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim.’”
In an interview with The New York Times, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he instructed the CDC to update its site. Kennedy is known for his controversial stance on vaccines, and despite his support from President Donald Trump, his nomination as the head of the HHS even faced some Republican opposition earlier this year from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor.
“As a doctor and pro-life American, I’m concerned that more energy is going into promoting disproven claims about vaccines than protecting women from the dangers of chemical abortion drugs,” said Cassidy Thursday following news of the CDC site update.
Since Kennedy has taken the reigns at the HHS department there have been other shakeups at the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration related to vaccines. He has also controversially linked circumcision and the popular over the counter painkiller acetaminophen (Tylenol) with autism, claims that experts have pushed back on. Audacy reported last month that trust in the CDC is the lowest it has been in in five years.
According to the new CDC messaging, “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” and Kennedy reiterated this claim in his interview with the NYT. Furthermore, the CDC’s site says that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”
Many health agencies and organizations criticized the changes. In fact, more than 40 medical, health and patient advocacy groups issued a joint statement condemning the change. They called on the CDC to “return to its long history of promoting evidence-based information.”
“We call on the CDC to stop wasting government resources to amplify false claims that sow doubt in one of the best tools we have to keep children healthy and thriving: routine immunizations,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Susan J. Kressly. “The American Academy of Pediatrics stands with members of the autism community who have asked for support in stopping this rumor from spreading any further.”
“Despite recent changes to the CDC website, an abundance of evidence from decades of scientific studies shows no link between vaccines and autism. Extensive and rigorous studies consistently show that vaccines are safe and effective at protecting against serious illness,” said Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, a trustee of the American Medical Association. “Vaccination is essential to protect individuals and communities from preventable diseases, making it a fundamental element of public health. The AMA is deeply concerned that perpetuating misleading claims on vaccines will lead to further confusion, distrust, and ultimately, dangerous consequences for individuals and public health.”
“The facts don’t change because the administration does”, said Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation. “At this point it’s not about doing more studies; it’s about being willing to accept what the existing study data clearly show. You can’t just ignore data because it doesn’t confirm your beliefs, but that’s what the administration is doing.”
The Autism Science Foundation also said it was “appalled” at the changes on the CDC website and called the information “anti-vaccine rhetoric.”
“Our organizations, representing autistic individuals, their families, medical professionals and public health workers, are alarmed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is promoting the outdated, disproven idea that vaccines cause autism,” said a statement from the American Public Health Association. “Medical researchers across the globe have spent more than 25 years thoroughly studying this claim. All have come to the same conclusion: Vaccines are not linked to autism.”
According to the CDC page, the “HHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links,” and that the page will be updated going forward. It also said that the ‘CDC and other federal health agencies within HHS,” have said in that past that vaccines do not cause autism “to prevent vaccine hesitancy.”
Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon also repeated the claim that “‘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 statement to NPR. He also mentioned the department’s assessment of autism causes.