Key Takeaways
- CDC Reverses Longtime Messaging: The agency now says “vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based claim, admitting that past statements overstated scientific certainty.
- HHS Launches New Autism Investigation: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is overseeing a comprehensive review into biological mechanisms and potential causal links, promising future updates based on “gold-standard science.”
- Data Quality Act Forced the Rewrite: The CDC states the update was required by law because federal agencies must provide information that is accurate, objective, and not misleading to the public.
In a move sending shockwaves through the medical establishment, the CDC has quietly rewritten its “Autism and Vaccines” webpage. The update states plainly: “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.”
For an agency that spent decades insisting the science was “settled,” this is a stunning reversal. The CDC now admits that studies supporting a possible link “have been ignored by health authorities” and that a full-scale investigation is underway at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The shift comes under the watch of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has argued for years that federal agencies dismissed legitimate scientific questions in the name of protecting vaccine uptake. Now, with the Biden-era messaging machine gone and President Trump demanding federal transparency across the board, HHS appears to be reevaluating long-held public health narratives.
According to the CDC’s updated site, the revisions were legally required under the Data Quality Act, which obligates federal agencies to ensure the information they present is evidence-based. The CDC acknowledged that the statement “Vaccines do not cause autism” was not supported by conclusive science — yet was still promoted to avoid hesitancy.
HHS has now launched what it calls a “comprehensive assessment” into autism’s causes, specifically including “plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links.” The agency says future updates will include only “gold-standard science” produced through this review.
For millions of parents who felt dismissed, silenced, or censored for even asking questions, the update is nothing short of vindication — and a sign that under President Trump, federal health agencies are finally being forced to confront inconvenient truths rather than bury them.