CDC updates website, says claims about vaccines not causing autism are not 'evidence-based'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its website, saying that claims about vaccines not causing autism are not "evidence-based."

A previous version of the agency's webpage stated “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 Hill news outlet reported.

Late Wednesday, the website was updated and now says that the statement that 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 CDC also states that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has repeatedly linked vaccines and autism.

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the website was updated “to reflect gold standard, evidence-based science.”

“HHS has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links,” Nixon said.

The main heading on the webpage still states “Vaccines do not cause autism.” However, now it has an asterisk that directs readers to a footnote which says, “The header ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ has not been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician and chairman of the committee, debated over supporting Kennedy’s confirmation due to his record of anti-vaccine views, but ultimately cast the deciding vote for him after receiving a pledge that the “CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.” 

Dr. Peter McCullough told the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show in an episode to be aired next week, "The CDC now says that prior studies that have denied the link between childhood vaccination and autism are not evidence-based. They're not valid. And the timing of this is, you know, honestly, is very, very consistent with the CDC reading the McCullough Foundation report.

"We published the most comprehensive report on autism on October 27, 2025. It's already received over 200,000 downloads and reads from the European Commission preprint server. We sent the report to the CDC, HHS, and all the officials, and now, three weeks later, the CDC has essentially read our report and knows that there are compelling sources of information compiled that the prior studies were misleading," he continued.

"There are 29 studies that claim that there was no link between vaccines and autism. Not a single one of those studies examined the vaccine record, talked to the parents, or examined the children. They didn't have clear control groups. Now we have well over 100 studies pointing to the link. And so the CDC and HHS say now they're going to start their own investigation, and we applaud them for doing so."

Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense, which was founded by Kennedy, said Thursday, “We’ve been gaslit and ridiculed and mocked and marginalized for decades, and this is a tremendous acknowledgment of the truth.”

“I don’t think this would have happened but for having Secretary of HHS Robert Kennedy in that position,” she added.

In a statement on Thursday, Autism Science Foundation President Alison Singer said, “The facts don’t change because the administration does. At this point it’s not about doing more studies; it’s about being willing to accept what the existing study data clearly show. You can’t just ignore data because it doesn’t confirm your beliefs, but that’s what the administration is doing.”