US CDC plans study into vaccines and autism: sources

Summary:

• CDC study follows measles outbreak amid declining vaccination rates
• Kennedy's mixed messages on vaccines raise concerns
• Autism rise attributed to broader screening, not vaccines

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a large study into potential connections between vaccines and autism, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, despite extensive scientific research that has disproven or failed to find evidence of such links.

The CDC's move comes amid one of the largest measles outbreaks the US has seen in the past decade, with more than 200 cases and two deaths in Texas and New Mexico. The outbreak has been fueled by declining vaccination rates in parts of the United States where parents have been falsely persuaded that such shots do more harm than good.

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, whose role includes authority over the CDC, has long sowed doubt over the safety of the combined vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). In a cabinet meeting last week, Kennedy initially downplayed news that a school-aged child had died of measles in Texas, the first such death in a decade, calling such outbreaks ordinary and failing to mention the role of vaccination to prevent measles.

Last weekend Kennedy published an opinion piece on Fox News that promoted the role of vaccination, but also told parents vaccination was a personal choice and urged them to consult with their physician.

It is unclear whether Kennedy is involved in the planned CDC study or how it would be carried out. He did not respond to a request for comment.

HHS and CDC cited what they described as skyrocketing autism rates in a joint statement on Friday.

"CDC will leave no stone unturned in its mission to figure out what exactly is happening," the statement said. "The American people expect high quality research and transparency and that is what CDC is delivering."

President Donald Trump's nominee for CDC director, Dr. Dave Weldon, is set for a US Senate committee hearing next week. Some senators have expressed concerns over Weldon's views on vaccines. Weldon declined to comment.

Dr. Wilbur Chen, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and former member of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, said the existence of such a study, conducted by the federal government, is itself enough to raise doubts about vaccines among some in the general public.

"It sends the signal that there is something there that is worth investigating, so that means there must be something going on between vaccines and autism," Chen said.

Autism diagnoses in the United States have increased significantly since 2000, intensifying public concern.

Many researchers attribute the rise in diagnoses to more widespread screening and the inclusion of a broader range of behaviors to describe the condition. But some public figures have popularized the idea that vaccines are to blame, an idea stemming from a since-debunked study from British researcher Andrew Wakefield in the late 1990s that connected a rise in autism diagnoses with widespread use of the MMR shot.