Health Leaders Criticize CDC Website Change With False Information On Vaccine and Autism Link

Super User News

Health officials and public health experts from states nationwide are criticizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for recent changes to its website, stating that the link between autism and vaccines has not been definitively ruled out.

Officials in Illinois, New York, and Hawaii are rejecting the CDC’s unfounded claims, and KFF Health News notes that the list of those frustrated is growing.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is a medical doctor, stated on X that “What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B, and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism.”

He added, “Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.”

Leaders at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDAP) at the University of Minnesota say the CDC is no longer “trustworthy.”

Scientific information on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website has been replaced with anti-vaccine talking points that don’t rule out the link between vaccines and autism, despite an abundance of evidence that there is no connection.

As CIDAP News points out, the CDC reversed its language on its website on Nov. 19. At the top of the page, it now reads “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”

Until the change, the CDC webpage stated, “Studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). No links have been found between any vaccine ingredients and ASD.”

Health Leaders Say CDC’s Vaccine and Autism Link Is A ‘Tragic Day’ For Public Health

While CIDAP leaders call the CDC’s reversals “a tragic day” for public health, other health professionals warn that the messaging is dangerous.

“This is madness,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, head of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious diseases committee, said during a media briefing Thursday. “One thing that is very clear is that vaccines are not one of those things. They do not cause autism. Period.”

In a statement put out by the Autism Science Foundation President, Alison Singer, she stated:

“The facts don’t change because the administration does. At this point, it’s not about doing more studies. It’s about being willing to accept what the existing study data clearly show.

“You can’t just ignore data because it doesn’t confirm your beliefs, but that’s what the administration is doing.”