NEW YORK (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally directed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to contradict its longstanding guidance that vaccines do not cause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview published Friday.
His comments provide clarity on who directed the change to the CDC’s website, after many current and former staff members at the agency were surprised to see newly published guidance Wednesday that defies the scientific consensus. Kennedy, a critic of vaccines for a long time, changed the public health agencies that he oversees and pushed for and enacted changes that upset many of the medical community, which sees his policies as harmful to Americans.
“The whole thing about ‘vaccines have been tested and this determination made,’ is just a lie,” Kennedy said in the interview, which took place Thursday.
The CDC’s “vaccine safety” page now claims that the statement “vaccines do not cause autism” is not based on evidence because it does not rule out the possibility that infant vaccines are linked to the disorder. The page has also been updated to suggest that health officials have ignored studies showing a potential link.
Researchers and public health advocates strongly reject the updated website, saying it misleads the public by exploiting the fact that the scientific method cannot satisfy a claim to prove a negative. They note that scientists have carefully explored potential links between vaccines and autism in rigorous research spanning decades, and all point to the same conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism.
“No environmental factor has been better studied as a potential cause of autism than vaccines,” the Autism Science Foundation said in a statement Thursday. “This includes vaccine ingredients as well as the body’s response to vaccines. All of this research has determined that there is no link between autism and vaccines.”
Kennedy, a longtime leader in the anti-vaccination movement, acknowledged to The New York Times the existence of studies showing no link to autism from the mercury-based preservative thimerosal or the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. But he told the newspaper there are still gaps in the science of vaccine safety and a need for more research.
The move creates another disagreement between the health secretary and Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician and Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate health committee. During his confirmation process, Kennedy promised Cassidy that he would leave the statement that vaccines do not cause autism on the CDC website. The statement remains on the website but with a disclaimer that it was left there because of their agreement.
Kennedy told The New York Times that he spoke with Cassidy about the updated website and that Cassidy disagreed with the decision.
“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,” Cassidy posted on X on Thursday. “Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively making Americans sick.”
The updated website comes as Kennedy has taken other steps as health secretary to cast doubt on vaccinations. He drew $500 million for their development, removed and replaced every member of a federal vaccination advisory committee and promised to change a federal program to compensate Americans injured by gunshots. He also fired former CDC Director Susan Monarez less than a month from her post after they clashed over vaccination policy.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, head of the infectious diseases committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics, told reporters at a briefing Thursday that the CDC’s website update was perpetuating a lie.
“This is madness,” he said. “Vaccines do not cause autism, and unfortunately, we can no longer trust health-related information coming from our government.”
The Department of Health and Human Services, which did not make Kennedy available for an interview with The Associated Press this week, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.