Kennedy claims he asked the CDC to alter the language about autism and vaccines on their website.

Health Secretary’s Controversial Vaccine Statement

WASHINGTON — In a recent interview with the New York Times, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that he directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to alter its longstanding stance that vaccines do not cause autism.

This shift contradicts decades of research indicating the safety of vaccines. The CDC’s website now asserts that the statement “vaccines do not cause autism” isn’t evidence-based, as studies have not completely ruled out the possibility that childhood vaccines could be linked to autism.

Kennedy acknowledged that while extensive epidemiological studies have found no connection between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and autism—along with similar findings regarding the mercury-based preservative thimerosal—he believes significant gaps remain in the science surrounding vaccine safety.

“The whole argument that vaccines have been tested and a determination has been made is simply incorrect,” Kennedy commented during his first major interview.

A noted vaccine skeptic, Kennedy is not a scientist. Prior to his role at the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC actively opposed the rising global anti-vaccine movement.

Kennedy stated, “The phrase ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ lacks scientific backing.”

Public health experts, along with doctors and scientists, quickly criticized the update, labeling it as misinformation. This contradicts the CDC’s long efforts to advocate for lifesaving childhood vaccinations in the U.S. and internationally.

Numerous global health organizations, including the World Health Organization, have consistently affirmed that vaccines do not cause autism.

As the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control noted recently, “Extensive studies involving hundreds of thousands of children worldwide have thoroughly assessed the claim that vaccines may lead to autism and found no such link. Based on the available evidence, vaccines do not cause autism.”

During the interview, Kennedy shared that he requested the CDC to adjust its guidance partly due to the lack of comprehensive studies investigating a possible relationship between autism and certain vaccines administered in the first year of life, such as the hepatitis B vaccine, and a combination shot for diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.

A newly formed committee advising the CDC on vaccine policy is set to convene early next month to discuss fresh recommendations regarding hepatitis B vaccinations.