A recent alteration to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has stirred controversy by challenging the established scientific consensus that vaccines do not trigger autism, sparking concern among various health professionals and autism specialists.
The CDC’s “vaccine safety” webpage was revised on Wednesday, stating that the assertion “Vaccines do not cause autism” lacks empirical support.
This update represents the latest action by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reevaluate — and introduce doubt about — long-standing scientific agreements regarding the safety of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals.
The modification was met with criticism from scientists and advocates who have been dedicated to investigating the origins of autism.
“We are shocked to discover that the information on the CDC webpage ‘Autism and Vaccines’ has been altered and distorted, now containing anti-vaccine sentiments and falsehoods regarding vaccines and autism,” expressed the Autism Science Foundation in a statement issued on Thursday.
- Analyzed: Majority of cancer and autism TikTok videos found to contain misinformation
- Unsubstantiated link made by Trump between autism and Tylenol during pregnancy
Extensive scientific consensus and numerous studies over decades have definitively established the absence of a connection between vaccines and autism.
“The conclusion is unequivocal and definitive,” remarked Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a statement on Thursday.
“We urge the CDC to cease using government resources to promote inaccurate claims that cast doubt on one of our most effective tools for safeguarding children’s health and well-being: routine vaccinations.”
Historically, the CDC has aligned with the absence of a correlation while endorsing vaccines licensed by the Food and Drug Administration.
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s baseless claims, medical experts and a major pharmaceutical company swiftly refuted his suggestion that pregnant women should avoid acetaminophen due to its alleged link to autism.
However, anti-vaccine activists, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who assumed a role in the Department of Health and Human Services this year, have persistently asserted otherwise.
It remains uncertain whether individuals at the CDC were involved in the alteration or if it was instigated by Kennedy’s HHS, which supervises the CDC.
Several CDC staff members expressed surprise at the change.
“I conversed with several CDC scientists yesterday, and none were informed about this content modification,” disclosed Dr. Debra Houry, a member of a group of high-ranking CDC officials who resigned from the agency in August. “When scientists are excluded from scientific evaluations, inaccurate and ideological information prevails.”