(NewsNation) — A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage has been revised, changing previous language that firmly stated vaccines do not cause autism.
The updated text breaks from the agency’s long-standing position and suggests some studies have not fully ruled out a potential connection.
“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 revised webpage reads, adding that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”
The change comes under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose history of promoting vaccine skepticism drew questions during his Senate confirmation.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician who was unsettled about Kennedy’s antivaccine work, said Kennedy pledged he wouldn’t change existing vaccine recommendations during his Senate confirmation process.
Cassidy also said Kennedy pledged the CDC would “not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
The agency kept the header “Vaccines do not cause Autism” at the top of the webpage, with a caveat explaining it had not been removed under an agreement with Cassidy.
The revised webpage also states HHS has launched “a comprehensive assessment” of the causes of autism.
According to the Journal, the page previously read: “Studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism,” citing a 2012 National Academy of Medicine review of scientific papers and a 2013 CDC study.
The revised webpage argues the CDC’s past work violated the Data Quality Act and raises questions about aluminum adjuvants as a possible factor in rising autism diagnoses.
“Though the cause of autism is likely to be multi-factorial, the scientific foundation to rule out one potential contributor entirely has not been established,” the new page reads.
RFK Jr., Trump warn against Tylenol during pregnancy
Last month, Kennedy said there was not “sufficient” evidence that Tylenol causes autism, softening repeated warnings from himself and President Donald Trump aimed at discouraging its use by pregnant women and young children. Those claims are unproven and lack scientific evidence.
Kennedy reiterated that pregnant women should use Tylenol only when “absolutely necessary.”
Both the World Health Organization and the European Union have refuted Trump’s assertion that acetaminophen may cause conditions like autism and ADHD when taken by pregnant women.
The Food and Drug Administration acknowledged “a causal relationship has not been established” after Trump’s initial claim.