Robert F. Kennedy Jr says he told CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism

After the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that claims about vaccines not causing autism are not ‘evidence-based’, the US Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr on Friday asserted that he personally ordered the agency to abandon its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism.

In an interview to New York Times, Kennedy said he ordered the CDC to change its guidance in part because high-quality large studies had not been conducted to examine a potential link between autism and other shots given in the first year of life.

Earlier, the CDC's website stated that studies have shown there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder. However, on Thursday, updating the webpage, CDC said, “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.”

Kennedy cited gaps in vaccine safety science to explain why the CDC website made a significant shift in its stance to say past claims that vaccines don’t cause autism lacked evidence.

“The whole thing about ‘vaccines have been tested and there’s been this determination made,’ is just a lie,” Kennedy Jr added.

“The phrase ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ is not supported by science.”

He, however, acknowledged that large-scale epidemiological studies of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine had found no link to autism, and that studies of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal had also shown no link.

The report said that it is highly unusual for a health secretary to personally order a change to scientific guidance.

The anti-vaccine advocacy group Children's Health Defense praised the revisions. On X, the organization's CEO Mary Holland said “thank you, Bobby.”

However, speaking to AFP, a CDC union member said that staff are very worried and upset about everything happening surrounding vaccines.

What is Autism?

Autism is a neurological and developmental condition marked by disruptions in brain-signaling that cause people to behave, communicate, interact and learn in atypical ways.

According to WHO, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a diverse group of conditions. The abilities and needs of autistic people vary and can evolve over time. While some people with autism can live independently, others have severe disabilities and require life-long care and support.