NEW YORK (AP) — Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Personally directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Update your website He told The New York Times that this goes against long-standing guidance that vaccines do not cause autism. interview Published on Friday.
His comments provide clarity on who ordered the changes to the CDC’s website, after many current and former CDC officials expressed surprise Wednesday at new guidance that contradicts scientific consensus. Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccines, pushed for and enacted reforms that upended the public health agencies he oversees and upset many in the medical community who believe his policies are harmful to Americans.
“Anything that says, ‘The vaccine was tested and this decision was made,’ is a lie,” Kennedy said in an interview Thursday.
The CDC’s “Vaccine Safety” page currently claims that the statement “vaccines do not cause autism” is not evidence-based because it does not rule out the possibility that infant vaccines are linked to autism. The page has also been updated to suggest that health officials are ignoring research showing a potential link.
Public health researchers and advocates have strongly disputed the updated website, arguing that it misleads public health, taking advantage of the fact that scientific methods cannot meet the requirement to prove a negative test result. They point out that scientists have thoroughly investigated the potential link between vaccines and autism in decades of rigorous studies, with the same conclusion: vaccines do not cause autism.
“No environmental factor is better studied as a potential cause of autism than vaccines,” the Autism Science Foundation said in a statement Thursday. “This includes not only the ingredients in the vaccine, but also the body’s response to the vaccine. All of this research has shown that there is no link between autism and vaccines.”
President Kennedy, a longtime leader of the anti-vaccination movement, acknowledged to the New York Times that there are studies showing no link between the mercury-based preservative thimerosal or the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and autism. But he told the newspaper there were still gaps in vaccine safety science and more research was needed.
The move created new disagreements between the health secretary and Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and physician who chairs the Senate Health Committee. During the approval process, Kennedy promised Cassidy that he would leave a statement on the CDC’s website saying the vaccine does not cause autism. The statement remains on the website, with the addition of a disclaimer that it was left there by agreement.
Mr. Kennedy told the New York Times that he had discussed the updated website with Mr. Cassidy, but Mr. Cassidy did not agree with the decision.
“What parents need to hear now is that vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B, and other childhood diseases are safe, effective, and do not cause autism,” Cassidy wrote on Thursday’s X. “Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively making Americans sick.”
Website updated according to President Kennedy’s policies now available other steps As the Health Secretary questions vaccination. he has Raised $500 million for developmentexpelled and replaced all members of Congress. Vaccine Advisory Committee and promised an overhaul of federal programs For compensation to Americans injured in the shooting. He also Former CDC Director Susan Monales fired Her appointment comes less than a month after the two sides clashed over vaccine policy.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious diseases committee, told reporters at a Thursday briefing that the CDC’s website update perpetuates lies.
“This is madness,” he said. “Vaccines do not cause autism. Unfortunately, we can no longer trust health-related information coming from the government.”
The Department of Health and Human Services made Kennedy unavailable for an interview with The Associated Press this week and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
