Physician and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, ripped into the Trump administration on Thursday over disputes surrounding vaccines and autism.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) via online form for comment.
Why It Matters
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its website language regarding vaccines and autism, prompting widespread concern among public health professionals and lawmakers.
The revision comes amid the United States facing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles, and renewed debate over vaccine safety. With government messaging on vaccines under scrutiny, the change has potentially significant implications for public health and trust in science-based policy.
What To Know
According to the Associated Press, the CDC’s “vaccine safety” webpage was updated Wednesday with “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.”
The website also says, “Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities,” and “HHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links.”
Taking to X on Thursday, Cassidy, 68, wrote, “I’m a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. 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. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.”
The physician and Republican senior senator continued, “We need to understand the real causes of autism. Studies show there’s a genetic predisposition when a mom who’s pregnant is exposed to environmental toxins which can increase a child’s risk of autism. It’s deeply troubling that, according to HHS officials, they appeared to have canceled hundreds of millions in research on autism genetics. Redirecting attention to factors we definitely know DO NOT cause autism denies families the answers they deserve.
“We had two children die and many more hospitalized nationally from measles this year. Louisiana is experiencing its worst whooping cough outbreak in 35 years. Families are getting sick and people are dying from vaccine-preventable deaths, and that tragedy needs to stop,” Cassidy concluded.
“The header ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ has not been removed from the CDC’s website due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website,” the agency says at the bottom of its webpage.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
