Scientists and advocates say CDC can no longer be trusted after unprecedented messaging shift on autism and vaccines

For nearly 80 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been respected around the world for its authoritative, evidence-based leadership in public health.

But the CDC's stunning reversal on Wednesday, which said on its website that “research does not rule out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” shows the agency can no longer be trusted, multiple doctors and public health advocates told CIDRAP News.

As of late yesterday, the CDC's webpage said exactly this: “Studies show there is no link between vaccination and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). No link has been found between vaccine ingredients and ASD. ”

Today, the CDC website echoes the views of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who claimed without evidence that vaccines cause autism.

CDC The website currently reads: “The claim that 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because research does not exclude the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”

'Tragic day' for public health

Paul Offit, M.D., an infectious disease expert at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, says the CDC has become “a propaganda machine for RFK Jr.'s entrenched, immutable, science-resistant theories” rather than a world leader in science. “The CDC has been weaponized to promote RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine viewpoint. So why should we trust it?”

Many public health experts interviewed by CIDRAP News looked sad.

“This is a tragic day for public health and for the U.S. government,” said Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., MPH, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, publisher of CIDRAP News. “Ideology has replaced science as the means to address life-saving research and life-saving best practices.”

Many doctors are concerned that the CDC's new message will deter parents from vaccinating their children.

“This is going to have real harm,” said Jake Scott, M.D., an infectious disease expert and clinical associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine.

“Parents looking for reliable information will find the CDC's official language justifying concerns that have been completely debunked. Some will delay or skip vaccinations. We know what will happen next: preventable diseases will return to areas with low vaccination rates.”

The CDC also removed scientific reviews about vaccines from its website. The website is now rehashing conspiracy theories that government scientists and the medical community are hiding the truth about vaccines, claiming that “research supporting a link is being ignored by health officials.”

We know what happens next. Preventable diseases return to areas where vaccination coverage is low.

Attacking scientists as dishonest and corrupt is a direct outgrowth of anti-vaccine tactics, said Peter Hotez, MD, co-director of the Vaccine Development Center at Texas Children's Hospital, who also helped develop an affordable, unpatented COVID-19 vaccine.

“This is how the wellness influencer industry works,” Hotez said. “It's not enough to promote snake oil. We need to discredit mainstream biomedicine and paint scientists as public enemies or cartoon villains. That's what Kennedy is trying to do.”

CDC staff became a target of violence In August, after a gunman blamed his depression on the coronavirus infection. fired 180 shots at a government agency Police officer killed at Atlanta headquarters.

Vaccines do not cause autism

Since 1998, independent researchers in seven countries have conducted 40 high-quality studies involving 5.6 million people examining the link between vaccines and autism.

“The conclusion is clear and clear: There is no link between vaccines and autism,” said Dr. Susan J. Kressley, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

“Those who repeat this harmful myth are either misinformed or intentionally trying to mislead parents,” Kressley said. “We call on the CDC to stop wasting government resources amplifying false claims that cast doubt on routine immunizations, one of the best ways to keep children healthy and growing.”

During his confirmation hearing, President Kennedy promised Dr. Bill Cassidy, a Republican senator from Louisiana, that he would not remove statements on the CDC's website that say vaccines do not cause autism. Mr. Cassidy's approval was critical to confirming Mr. Kennedy as secretary of the Department of Health.

Those who repeat this harmful myth are either misinformed or intentionally trying to mislead parents.

Cassidy did not respond to requests for an interview. But he Posted He spoke about the importance of vaccines on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I am a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases,” Cassidy wrote. “What parents need to know now is that vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B, and other childhood diseases are safe, effective, and do not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is false, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.”

The CDC's rejection of vaccine science undermines the credibility of all federal government science, said Dr. Ari Nieman, assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“This gives people a legitimate reason to be suspicious of anything coming out of this administration regarding the science of autism,” Neiman said. “This reinforces the feeling that RFK Jr.'s political judgment is being used in place of the scientific process.”

Dr. Debra Hawley, the CDC's former chief medical officer, said CDC scientists had nothing to do with the website changes.

“Scientists have no role in these decisions,” said Woolley, who resigned from the CDC in August. “When you take the science out of scientific information, you create ideology.”

“handHe's something we've been warning Congress about. And yesterday, I said in a webinar for health journalists that I don't trust information about autism from the CDC.” she added.

Meanwhile, Kennedy's allies have welcomed the change. “This is the biggest health reversal of our lifetime,” said Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccination group founded by President Kennedy. said in X.

The autism community speaks out

The autism community, which has long opposed the idea that vaccines cause autism, also criticized the changes to the CDC's website.

“No other environmental factor has been studied more as a potential cause of autism,” said Alison Singer, MBA, president of the Autism Science Foundation.

“Just because the administration changes doesn't mean the facts change,” Singer said. “At this point, it's not about doing more research, it's about being willing to accept what the existing research data clearly shows. You can't ignore data just because it doesn't support your beliefs, but that's what the administration is doing.”

Autistic people have harshly criticized Kennedy for his degrading characterization of people with neurodevelopmental disorders and his portrayal of them as tragedies.

You can't ignore data because it doesn't support your beliefs, but that's what the administration is doing.

“It's not clear what amount or type of further evidence or research would be enough to satisfy Kennedy or the CDC that autism is not caused by vaccines,” said Dr. Sam Brandsen, who has autism and is an adjunct postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta in Canada. Brandsen's son also has autism.

“Even if vaccines were the cause of autism, which I don't believe, I would rather have my child become his or her wonderful autistic self and have vaccines protect him from a deadly disease than try to withhold needed vaccines out of fear of autistic traits,” Brandsen said.