Statement: New CDC Webpage Falsely Claims Connection Between Childhood Vaccines & Autism
American Families for Vaccines (AFV) is alarmed and outraged to find that yesterday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control published an “updated” webpage titled “Autism and Vaccines,” filled with baseless claims implying that infant vaccines cause autism. The webpage now claims there isn’t solid evidence supporting the well-established fact that vaccines do not cause autism, despite extensive research showing there is no link between the childhood vaccine schedule and autism.
The CDC’s attempt to undermine established scientific evidence endangers our communities and families. As Alison Singer, the president of the Autism Science Foundation, rightly noted, “facts don’t change because the administration does.” In empowering anti-vaccination rhetoric and misinformation, the CDC is putting families at risk.
AFV President Northe Saunders said, “Disinformation of this kind doesn’t just confuse the public—it destabilizes the very policies we rely on to keep our communities safe from preventable diseases. When a federal public health agency lends unwarranted credibility to long-disproven myths, families lose trust, vaccine uptake declines, and the basic protections we count on begin to erode. That erosion has real consequences: more outbreaks, more hospitalizations, and more children and adults at risk.”
Saunders continued, “Our autistic friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors are loved, valued, and essential members of our communities. It is shameful that this politicized effort to mislead the American public about science and health drags autism into the conversation as a scare tactic. These false claims increase stigma, deepen misunderstanding, and delay the urgent work of advancing real research and real support for autistic people.”
Families deserve honesty. They deserve science they can trust. And they deserve a CDC that strengthens—not undermines—the nation’s shared defenses against preventable disease.
That’s why American Families for Vaccines urges every pro-vaccine advocate, expert, parent, healthcare provider, and community member to submit a public comment to ACIP right now. Make your voice heard. Demand that this committee uphold established scientific evidence, restore public trust, and reject the politicization of vaccine policy.
And we are calling, unequivocally, for the resignation of RFK Jr. His deliberate efforts to inject misinformation into federal health agencies endanger the public, stigmatize autistic people, and threaten the systems that protect us all. Our families—and our nation—deserve better.