The CDC has changed its position on vaccines and autism, saying there is now a possible link. The claim, which has been widely debunked, has alarmed doctors and delighted anti-vaccine activists.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
For years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been clear: vaccines do not cause autism.
AND MARTINEZ, GUEST:
Well, the agency has changed its position. Now their website says vaccines can cause autism when science says they don't.
FADEL: NPR's Pien Huang is here to explain this twist, and she joins me now. Good morning.
PIEN HUAN, BYLINE: Good morning.
FADEL: Pien, do we know who made this change?
HUAN: No one will admit it yet. So CDC scientists say they didn't change the website, and the Department of Health and Human Services won't say who ordered the change. But it is consistent with the view of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long held that vaccines are dangerous. He has written books about this, so both critics and supporters of this move believe that he is behind it. Here's Mary Holland. She is the CEO of Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization formerly led by Kennedy.
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MARY HOLLAND: Well, I want us to recognize that I don't think this would have happened if Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy hadn't been in this position.
HUAN: She spoke in a video on the group's website. And she celebrated and welcomed these changes, like many who were skeptical about vaccines.
FADEL: Okay, Kennedy is skeptical about vaccines. She is skeptical about vaccines. But science doesn't confirm this. Is there any new science to support the claim that vaccines can cause autism?
HUAN: No. People involved in this research say that this issue has been carefully studied for many years. Here's Alison Singer from the Autism Science Foundation, which funds the research.
ALISON SINGER: The research is very clear. Vaccines do not cause autism. And we need to look at studying other causes of autism.
HUANG: Singer says these other causes include factors such as genetics, family history, exposure to certain medications, air pollution or even illness during pregnancy. And, Leila, here’s another interesting thing. The headline on the CDC webpage still reads, and I quote, “Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism.”
FADEL: Oh.
JUAN: But there's a big star next to it. And that leads to the explanation that the reason the CDC isn't removing it is because of an agreement with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who provided the key vote on Kennedy's confirmation.
FADEL: How did Senator Cassidy react?
HUAN: Well, in X's statement, he said that the developments were deeply troubling. He accused HHS of eliminating funding for research into other causes of autism and shifting its focus to vaccines, which he said are “safe and effective and do not cause autism.” And this is something that the largest medical groups agree on. They say it's wrong. Here's Dr. Sean O'Leary from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
SEAN O'LEARY: It's crazy. I am very sorry that this, frankly, will affect the health of children. I'm afraid that this will lead to fewer children being vaccinated and children suffering from diseases they shouldn't have to suffer from.
JUAN: O'Leary called it a dark day. He says he's been dealing with vaccine misinformation for years, but the difference is now it's coming from the federal government.
FADEL: I mean, what impact does this have on people's trust in the CDC?
HUAN: I mean, the agency is in chaos this year. They lost between a quarter and a third of their staff. One of my sources told me it's like the Titanic right now, with people wondering when they'll be saved. So even the people who work there say the public should no longer trust some key information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, especially when it comes to vaccines.
FADEL: This is NPR's Pien Huang. Thank you, Pien.
JUAN: You're welcome.
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