Public health groups and physicians across the country have widely denounced new wording on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’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 of February.
“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.
