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CDC's Vaccine-Autism Update Sparks Backlash from Experts

11/23/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its website to challenge the view that vaccines do not cause autism, triggering backlash.
Public health experts condemned the change, with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calling it anti-vaccine rhetoric.
Former CDC officials distrust the messaging and cite a shift to decision-based practices under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while noting the site retains the autism statement with an asterisk.

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Story summary

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its website to challenge the view that vaccines do not cause autism, triggering backlash.
Public health experts condemned the change, with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calling it anti-vaccine rhetoric.
Former CDC officials distrust the messaging and cite a shift to decision-based practices under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while noting the site retains the autism statement with an asterisk.