Summarised by Centrist
On 19 November, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated a key public health page, stating the claim 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.”
It adds that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”
The agency cited research suggesting a correlation between rising autism prevalence and increases in the number of infant vaccines, while noting that correlation does not establish causation.
One study found that aluminium adjuvants in vaccines showed the strongest statistical correlation with autism among environmental factors examined.
The CDC also stated that the cause of autism was “likely to be multi-factorial” but that the scientific basis to rule out vaccines “entirely” had not been established.
It further said there were “no studies that support the claim that any of the 20 doses of the seven infant vaccines recommended for American children before the first year of life do not cause autism.”
Some studies often used to say the MMR vaccine doesn’t cause autism looked backwards at old records instead of following people over time. The CDC says this makes those studies’ conclusions less reliable. The update also noted that the Department of Health and Human Services is conducting an investigation into potential causes of autism, including examining “plausible biologic mechanisms between early childhood vaccinations and autism.”
Aluminium salts used as adjuvants will be part of that review.
