The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its website to state that there could be a link between autism and vaccines.<\/p>\n
The decision to now publicly state a correlation between autism and vaccines undermines the CDC\u2019s longtime position of the contrary. The alleged connection between vaccines and autism has long been debunked by a large body of high-quality research. US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F Kennedy (RFK) Jr, however, has long promoted the claim and instigated research into proving the link.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe claim \u2018vaccines do not cause autism\u2019 is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,\u201d the CDC\u2019s website now states, as per a 20 November update.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, this statement has historically been disseminated by the CDC and other federal health agencies within HHS to prevent vaccine hesitancy,\u201d the website adds.<\/p>\n
The CDC said it will update its page with the findings from a comprehensive assessment undertaken by the HHS on the causes of autism.<\/p>\n
The website\u2019s title reads \u201cVaccines do not cause Autism\u201d, which has been placed there as per an agreement with Senator Bill Cassidy to secure RFK Jr\u2019s confirmation. However, this statement is directly undermined by the bullet points that precede it.<\/p>\n
In a LinkedIn post on 20 November, Cassidy wrote: \u201cI\u2019m a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wider psychiatric, infectious disease, and autism communities also condemned the CDC\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n
The American Public Health Association (APHA) said it is \u201calarmed that the CDC is promoting the outdated, disproven idea that vaccines cause autism\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, our organisations reject this latest attempt to create fear around routine childhood immunisations. Vaccines rank among our greatest medical success stories,\u201d the association added.<\/p>\n
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) said in a statement: \u201cDecades of rigorous and scientifically sound research have proven that vaccines do not cause autism. CDC\u2019s sudden decision to change language on its website, reversing that finding, is reckless and harmful.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis change is deeply troubling because it is false and lacks transparency. There is no scientific rationale for CDC to change its long-standing assertion that there is no link between vaccines and autism. This change is not driven by science but by politics and will only serve to increase mistrust in science and medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n