Experts warn CDC’s autism page update could worsen vaccine mistrust

Public health experts warn that a major communication failure could worsen mistrust of vaccines, a problem brought to light by the CDC’s sudden revision of its long-standing autism and vaccines webpage.

On November 19, the CDC changed its “Autism and Vaccines” page in a way that shocked many of its own staff. The revision changed the agency’s clear statement that vaccines do not cause autism with new language stating that the claim “vaccines do not cause autism” is not evidence-based.

The edited page also suggests that research supporting a link between vaccines and autism has been “ignored by health authorities,” without identifying the studies or explaining why the CDC is elevating them now.

The result, experts say, is a message that appears to contradict decades of research and opens the door for mass misinterpretation.

Autism Speaks, the largest autism advocacy group in the U.S., said it was “disappointed” by the shift in a press release published the same day of the change. According to Autism Speaks, the CDC’s language “may create confusion” and “undermines decades of clear scientific consensus.”

The organization stressed that more than 20 years of high-quality research involving millions of children has shown no causal relationship between vaccines and autism. The very few studies that suggest otherwise, per Autism Speaks, are “extremely limited” and “methodologically flawed” and have never been replicated in rigorous settings.

For epidemiologists such as Erica Gollub, M.P.H., Ph.D., a professor at Pace University, the problem is not just that the CDC added confusing language, but that its words could mislead the public about how science works.

“This is obfuscation, plain and simple,” Gollub told Managed Healthcare Executive. “The likely impact will be to sow even more unwarranted confusion and ratchet up mistrust of public health institutions and leaders.”

Gollub, who has spent her career studying how to translate complex data into clear public guidance, said the CDC’s original wording accurately reflected the best available evidence.

“Stating that ‘no association’ has been found between vaccines and autism aptly and correctly communicates the results of the extensive body of data on this topic,” she said.

Gollub also took issue with the CDC’s suggestion that studies pointing to a possible link were ignored by experts.

“The statement that ‘studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities’ is truly insidious and patently false,” she said.

Epidemiologists, she explained, evaluate all available studies but rely on the strongest ones when making recommendations that affect millions of people.

The sudden shift has left many scientists confused about why the CDC elevated weaker studies and downplayed the stronger ones.

According to Autism Speaks, one of the studies referenced on the updated page is a decades-old parent survey of only 77 respondents. Research of that size and design doesn’t meaningfully challenge the much larger body of evidence, the organization added.

Beyond the science, autism advocates say the CDC’s change could bring back a debate that has already been settled, taking attention away from more important issues. Autism Speaks noted the update could divert focus, funding and energy from work on other health needs, long-term services, mental health support and research that truly helps autistic people and their families.

The timing of the CDC’s change also comes during a broader political struggle over vaccine safety. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long questioned childhood vaccine schedules and rising measles and whooping cough cases have already renewed concern about falling vaccination rates.

These public health experts worry that even a small shift in messaging from the CDC can fuel skepticism among parents who are already uncertain.

Gollub said the agency’s role should be to clarify, not complicate.

“The job of public health is to disseminate now what we know, and to revise these recommendations when new evidence becomes available,” she said.

She added that the CDC’s update “makes a mockery of the scientific process” and risks damaging the public’s confidence in future guidance.

The CDC said on the site that the language change is part of a broader review ordered by HHS into the causes of autism, including possible biological mechanisms. But the agency has not explained why the edit was made without wider internal review or how it selected the studies it chose to highlight.

As public reaction grows, the experts said the agency now faces a significant challenge. Rebuilding trust will require more than correcting a webpage. It will require transparency, clear explanations and a return to evidence-based communication.

For Gollub, the stakes remain straightforward.

“Children’s lives, as well as those of adults, are at stake here,” she said.