CDC to Launch Major Study on Vaccines and Autism, Sources Reveal
The CDC is set to investigate potential vaccine-autism links as autism rises and measles surges. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in focus, the study may stir fresh discussion
Written By Ericka Adams // EEW Magazine Online
Credit: Getty/LWA/Dann Tardif
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to undertake a wide-ranging study exploring possible connections between vaccines and autism, according to two sources familiar with the plans. The agency’s move follows years of research, including a 2014 meta-analysis in Vaccine of over 1.2 million children that found no link between the two.
Details are still hazy on whether U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, is behind this effort or how the study will be designed. Kennedy, who has repeatedly challenged vaccine safety, heads the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the CDC. Neither the CDC nor HHS provided immediate responses to inquiries.
Autism diagnoses have risen steeply in the U.S. since 2000, sparking widespread concern. Many experts tie this increase to enhanced screening and broader diagnostic definitions. (Credit: Getty/FatCamera)
Meanwhile, Texas and New Mexico are reporting over 150 measles cases and two deaths—the most severe outbreak in a decade. Vaccination rates have dropped in some areas amid ongoing debates about vaccine safety.
Autism diagnoses have risen steeply in the U.S. since 2000, sparking widespread concern. Many experts tie this increase to enhanced screening and broader diagnostic definitions, while others, including Kennedy, question whether vaccines might contribute. In the 1990s, British researcher Andrew Wakefield published a study suggesting a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Later studies did not confirm this connection, and some researchers have explored factors like prenatal brain development, maternal health during pregnancy, or birth complications as possible contributors.
President Donald Trump recently spotlighted autism’s rise in a congressional address, promising to uncover its causes. “We’re going to figure this out, and there’s no one better than Bobby and his team,” he said, referring to Kennedy. The White House offered no immediate comment on the CDC’s initiative.
Kennedy’s vaccine views have raised eyebrows among some Republicans. At his confirmation hearing, Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana physician, pressed Kennedy to dismiss any vaccine-autism link, citing its debunked status. Kennedy clarified he’s not anti-vaccine but didn’t fully align with the scientific consensus. This week, Cassidy also asked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, about the issue. Bhattacharya said current evidence casts doubt on a link but supported broader research into autism’s unexplained surge.
The CDC’s autism FAQs, last updated November 5, 2024, state that studies show no association with vaccines. Still, the agency’s decision to launch this study suggests it’s addressing lingering public questions—and perhaps political pressures. As plans unfold, the effort is likely to reignite a decades-long discussion about vaccines, science, and trust in health policy.
