\u201cThese results reinforce existing evidence supporting the safety of MMR vaccination,\u201d the medical research scientists, from University of Washington, wrote last week. The research supports decades of work with similar results, including by the World Health Organization<\/a>, which said earlier this year there was no evidence<\/a> that vaccines<\/a> cause autism.<\/p>\n The results come at a fraught time for U.S. public health, and in particular for childhood vaccinations, including the MMR shot. Federal data<\/a> reveals that MMR vaccination rates have been steadily dropping since before the pandemic <\/a>and cases of life-threatening measles are at a 35-year high<\/a>.<\/p>\n As measles outbreaks rage across the country, public officials\u2019 messaging has been bewildering at times.<\/p>\n Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – who promoted unapproved treatments<\/a> for measles last year – told CNN<\/a> this weekend that people should get the MMR vaccine to protect themselves against the virus. But Kennedy also questioned decades of findings regarding the safety of vaccines when talking about autism, losing his temper at CNN anchor Dana Bash over questions about his leadership and conversations with President Donald Trump<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cYou are wrong when you say that this issue has been studied,\u201d he told Bash.<\/p>\n Trump wants Kennedy to study any ties between autism and vaccines – despite current and established evidence. <\/p>\n The president previously suggested the combined MMR vaccine was \u201cbad\u201d and should be split up<\/a> during a September press conference on autism<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want no mercury in the vaccine. We want no aluminum in the vaccine. The MMR I think should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel,\u201d Trump said<\/a>. \u201cIt seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem. So, there\u2019s no downside in taking them separately. In fact, they think it\u2019s better. So let it be separate.\u201d<\/p>\n Kennedy has acknowledged studies have shown no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, according to The New York Times<\/a>. <\/p>\n The MMR vaccine has been studied for decades around the world and is often mentioned when talking about autism because of a 1998 study by former doctor Andrew Wakefield that has since been disproven, according to the non-profit Autism Speaks<\/a>.<\/p>\n The study in a small group of children suggested that vaccinations caused children’s brain development to regress, but it was later retracted due to flawed methodology.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore it was retracted, Wakefield’s 1998 study had been cited more than<\/a> 600 times. This serves as an example of how easily misinformation can spread, and how hard it can be to correct,\u201d the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> says, noting that Wakefield\u2019s medical license had been revoked.<\/p>\n Kennedy\u2019s remarks on the MMR vaccine and autism come less than a year after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> updated its webpage<\/a> on vaccines and autism. <\/p>\n The CDC page was changed in November to say studies \u201chave not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism\u201d and studies supporting a link \u201chave been ignored by health authorities.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cHHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links,\u201d the CDC, which falls under Kennedy\u2019s leadership, states.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole thing about \u2018vaccines have been tested and there\u2019s been this determination made,\u2019 is just a lie,\u201d Kennedy told The Times last year, defending the move. \u201cThe phrase \u2018Vaccines do not cause autism\u2019 is not supported by science.\u201d<\/p>\n That update drew alarm the academy, which blasted the move as a waste of government resources. \u201cThe American Academy of Pediatrics stands with members of the autism community who have asked for support in stopping this rumor from spreading any further,\u201d President Dr. Susan Kressly said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Health](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2277526002...jpeg\")
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says the President Donald Trump wants the administration to look into any ties between vaccines and autism – despite decades of research showing there\u2019s no link. A new study showing no ties between autism diagnoses and the measles vaccine builds on that evidence (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2202122299-(1).jpeg\")
A woman holds her young daughter while she gets the MMR vaccine at a clinic in Lubbock, Texas, last year. Kennedy said parents should give their children the shots on CNN this weekend (Getty Images)<\/p>\n