HHS responds to reports CDC will study refuted vaccine, autism link
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service is responding to reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a study on the widely refuted theory that links a rise in autism cases to childhood vaccines.
The study was first reported last week by Reuters, on information from two sources familiar with the plans. A source also told NBC News of the CDC’s plans.
Vaccines and autism study
What we know:
Vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in laboratory testing and in real world use in hundreds of millions of people over decades — they are considered among the most effective public health measures in history.
A theory that links a rise in autism cases to childhood vaccines has been discredited by multiple studies over the decades. Studies have shown no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder, according to the CDC.
But several major media outlets are reporting the CDC is about to launch a large study researching a possible link between the two.
What we don't know:
The study has not been explicitly confirmed by the Health and Human Services Department, which heads the CDC and is now run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Details about how the study would be carried out are also unknown.
What they're saying:
"As President Trump said in his Joint Address to Congress, the rate of autism in American children has skyrocketed. CDC will leave no stone unturned in its mission to figure out what exactly is happening. The American people expect high quality research and transparency and that is what CDC is delivering," Health and Human Services Communications Director, Andrew G. Nixon, told FOX Television Stations in an email.
The CDC has previously acknowledged parental concern about possible connections between autism and vaccines.
"To date, the studies continue to show that vaccines are not associated with ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder]. CDC knows some parents and others still have concerns," the agency's site says.
FILE - A young child receives a vaccination on June 21, 2022. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images)
The other side:
No medical intervention is risk-free. But doctors and researchers have proven that risks from disease are generally far greater than the risks from vaccines.
Improved screening and autism services have led to diagnosis increasingly happening at younger ages. And there’s been more awareness and advocacy for Black and Hispanic families too, leading to an increase in autism diagnosed among those groups.
What is autism?
Autism is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain.
By the numbers:
Among all U.S. 8-year-olds, 1 in 36 had autism in 2020. That’s according to the most recent estimate from the CDC. That’s up from 1 in 44 two years earlier.
RFK Jr. and vaccines
The backstory:
The vaccine stance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s appointed and confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services, has garnered attention and concern.
Kennedy has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views, specifically through his founded charity Children’s Health Defense, but rejected the "anti-vax" label to senators during his confirmation hearing and framed it instead as being someone who asks "uncomfortable questions."
He’s promised to examine the CDC’s recommended childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles, polio and other dangerous diseases.
RELATED: What is the childhood vaccine schedule? A look at immunizations by age
Measles outbreak
RFK Jr. asked about measles outbreak in Texas
During President Donald Trump's first cabinet meeting, Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks about the measles outbreak in Texas that has killed a child. "We’ve had 4 measles outbreaks this year. Last year, we had 16. It’s not unusual. We have outbreaks every year," Kennedy said.
Meanwhile:
A historic measles outbreak in West Texas has reached just short of 200 cases, while the number of cases in neighboring New Mexico tripled to 30 over the weekend.
Earlier this month, a school-age child died of measles in Texas, the nation’s first measles death in a decade.
RELATED: Texas child becomes first to die of measles in U.S. since 2015
MMR vaccine
Big picture view:
Most of the cases across both states are in people younger than 18 and people who are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is safe and highly effective at preventing infection and severe cases. The first shot is recommended for children ages 12 to 15 months, and the second for ages 4 to 6 years.
Owing to the success of the vaccine, the U.S. considered measles eliminated in 2000.
What they're saying:
In response to the outbreak, Kennedy said earlier this month that parents should talk with their doctors to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine.
"The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons," a March 3 statement from his office reads.
Dig deeper:
Childhood vaccination rates across the country have declined as an increasing number of parents seek exemptions from public school requirements for personal or religious reasons.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a Reuters and NBC report, a statement FOX Television Stations received by the HHS, written and public remarks from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the CDC. This story was reported from Detroit.