Overview
- The CDC website now states that studies have not ruled out a possible infant vaccine–autism link, a change ordered by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that HHS says reflects evidence-based science.
- More than 60 medical and autism organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the Autism Science Foundation, reaffirmed that vaccines are not linked to autism and called the new CDC language misinformation.
- The West Coast Health Alliance of California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii issued guidance urging routine immunization and criticized the CDC’s revision as misleading to families seeking accurate advice.
- Coverage notes broader upheaval at the CDC under Kennedy, with reported staff firings, removal of its vaccine advisory panel and budget cuts that critics say weaken evidence-based guidance.
- A Boston Globe poll found persistent overall support for childhood vaccines alongside rising skepticism in some communities, with public health officials warning the federal shift could deepen hesitancy and risk disease resurgence.