CDC Rewrites Vaccine Page to Say an Autism Link Has Not Been Ruled Out

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rewrote its “vaccine safety” webpage on Wednesday to say that the claim “vaccines do not cause autism” is “not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” NBC News, PBS News (via the Associated Press) and CNBC reported.

The new text adds that health authorities have “ignored” studies suggesting a link, according to NBC News and CNBC. The page does not cite new research, PBS News reported. NBC News said the change was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The page previously said studies showed no link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder, CNBC reported.

Pediatricians and researchers rejected it. Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said “the conclusion is clear and unambiguous” and urged the CDC to stop spending resources to “amplify false claims,” PBS News reported. Dr. Sean O’Leary of the academy’s infectious diseases committee told reporters, “This is madness,” NBC News reported. The Autism Science Foundation said it was “appalled,” in statements carried by NBC News and PBS News.

The page still carries the heading “Vaccines do not cause autism,” now marked with an asterisk, NBC News, PBS News and CNBC reported. A note says the wording stays under an agreement with the chair of the Senate health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican. PBS News and CNBC said Cassidy backed Kennedy’s nomination in February after Kennedy pledged not to remove the CDC’s language saying vaccines do not cause autism. Decades of studies have found no link, PBS News reported, and CNBC said no rigorous study has tied autism to vaccines.

The Department of Health and Human Services defended the change. Spokesman Andrew Nixon said the site was being updated “to reflect gold standard, evidence-based science,” and that the department had launched “a comprehensive assessment” of the causes of autism, NBC News and PBS News reported. NBC News said it was unclear how that assessment would be conducted or how the department defines such science.

It is unclear who made the change, PBS News reported. Mr. Kennedy and other anti-vaccine activists have long claimed a link between vaccines and autism, PBS said, and CNBC reported that the update aligns with Mr. Kennedy’s view that childhood vaccines cause autism.