CDC Rewrites Vaccine-Autism Page, Echoing Kennedy’s Anti-Science Views

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has altered its webpage on vaccine safety and autism to reflect the false anti-vaccine talking points peddled by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The new language contradicts decades of evidence-based research that has found zero link between childhood vaccinations and autism.

The original version of the page had included a “key points” header stating that, “Studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” and that, “No links have been found between any vaccine ingredients and ASD.”

That wording has been removed. Now, the website states that:

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.

The site also claims that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”

Notably, the site keeps a section from the old version in place, including a header that reads, “Vaccines do not cause autism.” However, an asterisk placed next to that text indicates that their reason for keeping the header is to placate the concerns of Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), a lawmaker with a medical degree who was the deciding vote during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings. Cassidy had expressed qualms about supporting the HHS nominee, but Kennedy assured him during that time that he would not change vaccine policy.

“The header ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ has not been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website,” the new version of the site states.

Cassidy issued a short response to the website change. Coupling his message with false anti-abortion language, the senator stated yesterday that he was “concerned” that “energy is going into promoting disproven claims about vaccines.”

Kennedy has held anti-vaccination views for many years, and his peddling of falsehoods regarding public health is widely documented.

Since beginning his tenure as head of HHS, Kennedy has indicated little understanding of how infectious diseases actually work, and how vaccines play a role in preventing their spread. For example, in February, at the start of a measles endemic in the U.S., Kennedy claimed that outbreaks of the disease happen “every year,” a statement that ignores how, just two decades ago, measles was considered effectively eradicated in the U.S. (a distinction it is now very close to losing).

Kennedy also falsely — and dangerously — claimed that measles vaccines are less effective than direct exposure to the virus when it comes to developing immunity. As of this week, more than 1,750 cases of measles have been reported in the U.S., within 45 separate outbreaks. That’s a sharp increase from the year before, when only 285 measles cases were identified in just 16 outbreaks.

Kennedy has taken other anti-vax positions at the CDC. This past summer, he dismissed the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel that advises health agencies on matters relating to vaccines. Kennedy then filled those vacancies with individuals with anti-vax views.

Several health experts denounced the CDC for the changes to its website.

One critic, Alison Singer, president and co-founder of the Autism Science Foundation, noted that the new language on the site flouts the principles of the scientific method.

“You can’t do a scientific study to show that something does not cause something else,” Singer said. “All we can do in the scientific community is point to the preponderance of the evidence, the number of studies, the fact that the studies are so conclusive.”

The Infectious Diseases Society of America also condemned the changes, writing:

This 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.

“Extensive and rigorous studies consistently show that vaccines are safe and effective at protecting against serious illness. Vaccination is essential to protect individuals and communities from preventable diseases, making it a fundamental element of public health,” American Medical Association trustee Sandra Adamson Fryhofer said. “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.”

Michael T. Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, similarly panned the CDC’s decision to peddle falsehoods on vaccines.

“Today is a tragic day for public health,” Osterholm said. “Ideology has replaced science as the means for addressing life-saving research and best practices that save lives.”