CDC Changed Wording on Its Website

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Changed Wording on its Website, and Public Health Experts are Furious. Public Health Groups and Physicians across the Country have widely Denounced New Wording on the CDC’s Website, suggesting that Vaccines could be Linked to Autism, despite Decades of Evidence showing they are Safe. Doctors say the Change on the Federal Health Agency's Site Distracts from Pressing Public Health Issues and Undermines Efforts to Increase Vaccination Rates Ahead of the Peak Flu, RSV, and COVID-19 Season, which Typically begins in November, and Runs through the End

“We're on the ground trying to get vaccinations out there to get that protective herd immunity for all these vaccine-preventable diseases and it's been concerning that the messaging now coming from the federal government is not science-based,” said Philip Huang, Director for the Dallas, Texas County Health and Human Services Department. “It’s political and it makes our jobs harder,” Huang added. For Decades, the CDC has Encouraged the use of Life-Saving Childhood Vaccines and has Pointed to a Large Body of Scientific Research Showing there is No Link between getting Vaccinated and Developing Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The CDC Updated its Website Nov. 20th to say, “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 Agency kept the Original Headline above the Sentence, which read: “Vaccines do not cause Autism,” with an Asterisk next to it. A Note at the Bottom of the Page explained that the Headline was Not Removed because of “an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,” referring to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is a Physician.

The Updates Reflected the Long-Held Belief of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I) , who earlier this year Ordered the Agency to Determine the Cause of Autism and Suggested a Link between Tylenol Usage and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The “Agreement” appears to Reference a Promise Kennedy made to Cassidy during His Confirmation Process to Consult the Senator on Vaccine Policy. Cassidy called the Language Changes on the CDC Website “Deeply Troubling.”

“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,” the Louisiana Senator said. Many of Kennedy's Supporters Celebrated the Change. "This is exactly why we backed Kennedy from the start," the Health Advocacy Group Moms Across America wrote in a Statement on Social Media. "He vowed to clean up HHS, to confront corruption, expose the truth, and demand real, gold standard science."

Health Agencies and Experts around the World have firmly Rebuked the New Statement on the CDC website, and some have raised Concern that the Changes Indicate a Politicization of the Science-based Agency. “The CDC has always been a trustworthy source of scientifically-backed information, but it appears this is no longer the case,” said Alison Singer, President of the Autism Science Foundation.

Local Health Officials across the Country have Expressed concern that Confusion related to the Changes could Erode Public Trust in Scientific Data and Health Organizations At-Large. Raynard Washington serves as Health Director in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, which encompasses the area around Charlotte. Most People in the Community have continued to Vaccinate their Children, Washington said.

“But there is a growing population of individuals who are skeptical or distrusting, or, I think in some ways just confused because of the conflicting messages that are being pushed,” he added. He and other Health Leaders USA TODAY spoke with, said they have felt an Onus to Conduct more Education and Outreach to their Communities in Light of recent Changes at the CDC, including the Recent Language Change on its Website.

“We will need to continue to enhance those efforts and provide more science-based information and reassure parents and everyone that the consensus does remain that vaccines are safe and they are not an established cause of autism,” said Huang, of Dallas, Texas.










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