Overview
- The updated text states the claim “vaccines do not cause autism” is not evidence-based because studies have not entirely excluded a possible link in infants.
- CDC communications also assert that studies supporting a link were ignored by health authorities, replacing earlier language that said research found no association.
- The agency says it retained the page headline “Vaccines do not cause autism” under an agreement with Senate health chair Bill Cassidy, who publicly affirmed that childhood shots are safe and do not cause autism.
- The Autism Science Foundation and other experts denounced the revision as misinformation that contradicts the best available evidence and risks confusing parents.
- Several CDC scientists told the Washington Post they were not briefed in advance; critics tied the shift to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine-skeptical stance and warned of eroding confidence as measles outbreaks in the United States have included fatalities.