It is no secret that people don’t always trust government agencies, but in principle these institutions should remain as objective and cautious as possible, especially on issues of high public importance. Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) appears to be doing the opposite.
On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the CDC’s website displayed a statement reading: “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.” Previously, the agency had repeatedly stated that no link had been found between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The CDC’s shift in messaging was met with immediate backlash — vaccination and autism experts called it a step backward in public-health communication and warned it could undermine trust in immunization programs. The Autism Science Foundation stated: “We are appalled to find that the content on the CDC webpage ‘Autism and Vaccines’ has been changed and distorted, and is now filled with anti-vaccine rhetoric and outright lies about vaccines and autism.”
The changes at the CDC coincide with the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — known for his vaccine-skeptical views — as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). According to reports, some CDC officials were not informed of the update and did not participate in preparing it, raising concerns about political influence over scientific communication.
Although the main header on the page still reads “Vaccines do not cause autism*”, an asterisk notes that the statement remains due to an “agreement” with Senator Bill Cassidy (chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee), obligating the CDC to leave it in place.
The decision is particularly puzzling given that more than 40 large-scale studies involving several million participants have found no causal link between vaccines and autism. The breadth and quality of the research underpin why previous health communications cited the “lack of association” as a well-established fact.
Such actions by the CDC could set a dangerous precedent, enabling people to question scientifically established facts without reason. It’s important to remember that such statements empower conspiracy theorists, create communication chaos, and could ultimately lead to social unrest as the public loses clarity on what is true and what is not.