The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated a key page on its website which had indicated that vaccines do not cause autism to now suggest that the science is unsettled.
The agency posted a new version of its “autism and vaccines” page Wednesday. Previously the page stated that “studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism.” But, the update includes starkly different messaging.
“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,” reads the live site, which indicates that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”
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Even with the change, the CDC page continues to include a header saying that “vaccines do not cause autism.” But, the statement is appended with a notation to indicate that it has only been retained to honor an agreement with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Cassidy’s office did not respond to questions about the matter.
Other pages on the CDC and Food and Drug Administration websites continue to state that studies show no link between vaccines and autism.
The updates to the CDC webpage reflect long-held vaccine skepticism from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and they are being cheered by anti-vaccine activists at the Children’s Health Defense, which he founded.
Since Kennedy took over HHS, he has made autism a major focus and the CDC said in September that it would award a grant to investigate a link between autism and vaccines, though experts in the field say that extensive research has discredited such a connection.
The updated CDC webpage indicates that “HHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism” and that the site will evolve accordingly.
“We are updating the CDC’s website to reflect gold standard, evidence-based science,” said Andrew Nixon, communications director at HHS.
Autism experts and doctors, however, are condemning the changes, which they say promote misinformation, and they indicated that further research into vaccines and autism is unwarranted.
“Since 1998, independent researchers across seven countries have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear and unambiguous: There’s no link between vaccines and autism,” said Dr. Susan J. Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Anyone repeating this harmful myth is misinformed or intentionally trying to mislead parents.”
The Autism Science Foundation said that vaccines are the best studied environmental factor in terms of a potential cause of autism and that the science is clear that there is no link.
“The facts don’t change because the administration does,” said Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation. “At this point it’s not about doing more studies; it’s about being willing to accept what the existing study data clearly show.”
