The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly studying if there is any link between vaccinations and the rise in autism.
Sources told Reuters that the CDC, which is under the purview of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is planning a large study into vaccines and autism. A CDC study from 2020 found that 1 in 36 children in the United States have been diagnosed with autism.
The Daily Wire reached out to HHS about the report, but has yet to receive a reply.
Over the weekend, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the department will leave “no stone unturned” while studying the rise in autism.
“As President Trump said in his Joint Address to Congress, the rate of autism in American children has skyrocketed,” he said. “CDC will leave no stone unturned in its mission to figure out what exactly is happening. The American people expect high quality research and transparency and that is what CDC is delivering.”
National Institutes of Health (NIH) director nominee Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has said he doesn’t believe there is a link between vaccines and the rise in autism, but would back “a broad scientific agenda” looking into the matter.
“I don’t generally believe there is a link, based on my reading of the literature. But we do have a sharp rise in autism rates, and I don’t think any scientist really knows the cause of it,” Bhattacharya said during a confirmation hearing. “I would support a broad scientific agenda based on data to get an answer to that.”
Kennedy is currently tackling a measles outbreak in Texas, where 198 cases have been identified since late January, largely among the Mennonite population. In an op-ed published this month, RFK said the outbreak must elicit a “call to action” for all of us to affirm our commitment to public health.
The secretary said he’s harnessing HHS to support Texas communities and the state’s health department by making the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine readily available. HHS has sent 2,000 doses of the vaccine to West Texas. Kennedy also said he’s focusing on educating parents on post-infection treatments and nutrition.
“What we’re trying to do is really to restore faith in government, and to make sure that we are there to help them with their needs and not particularly to dictate what they ought to be doing,” he said.
Related: ‘MAHA’ Update: Here Are RFK’s Latest Moves On Big Food And Big Pharma