Overview
- The CDC updated its “autism and vaccines” webpage last week to keep a header saying vaccines do not cause autism while adding language that studies have not ruled out a possible link and that scientists have not identified autism’s root causes.
- Sen. Bill Cassidy said HHS modified the page as a “sign of good faith” to win his support for Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination yet called the remaining language “almost an insult to the American people” and said it could frighten parents from vaccinating.
- Pediatricians and autism researchers have publicly denounced the changes, saying decades of large studies and systematic reviews show no link between routine childhood vaccines and autism.
- Reporting shows the page still includes contested material, including an alleged reference to a retracted study, and both CDC and HHS declined to give detailed public explanations about the recent edits.
- Clinicians warn the wording risks increasing vaccine hesitancy, which could lower coverage and fuel outbreaks of preventable diseases as communities try to rebuild trust in public-health guidance.