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14h ago

CDC Rewrites Vaccine Safety Page, Casting Doubt on Denials of a Vaccine–Autism Link

Public-health leaders say the new wording contradicts decades of research, risking greater vaccine hesitancy.

FILE - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference on the Autism report by the CDC at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)
The logo of Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seen as the glass of it's building in the background is pockmarked by bullet holes, following a deadly shooting incident in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 9, 2025.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Overview

  • An updated CDC webpage now says the statement that vaccines do not cause autism is not evidence-based, asserting studies have not ruled out a possible link in infants and claiming supportive studies were ignored.
  • The page retains the header "Vaccines do not cause autism" with an asterisk, citing an agreement with Sen. Bill Cassidy that the phrase remain on the site.
  • HHS defended the edits as reflecting "gold standard" science and said it has launched a comprehensive assessment into autism causes, including potential causal links.
  • Scientists and medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Autism Science Foundation, condemned the changes and reaffirmed extensive evidence showing no causal link between vaccines and autism.
  • Former and current CDC officials said agency scientists were blindsided by the update, while anti-vaccine groups such as Children’s Health Defense praised the move and experts warned it could depress vaccination uptake and worsen disease outbreaks.