The centers for the control and prevention of diseases of the US (CDC) are planning a large -scale study on possible connections between vaccines and autism, as two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, despite the extensive scientific research that has denied or has not found evidence of such links.
It is not clear if the EU Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long promoted anti -vacuum views, is involved in the study planned by the CDC or how it will be carried out. The CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services were not immediately available to comment.
The Movement of the CDC arrives in the middle of one of the largest measles outbreaks that the US has seen in the last decade, with more than 200 cases and two deaths in Texas and New Mexico. The outbreak has been driven by the decrease in vaccination rates in parts of the US where parents have been falsely persuaded that these vaccines do more damage than well.
Kennedy, whose role includes authority over CDC, has long sown doubts about the security of the combined vaccine against measles, papers and rubella (MMR). In a cabinet meeting last week, Kennedy initially minimized the news that a school -age child had died of measles in Texas, the first death of this type in a decade, calling these outbreaks something ordinary and not to mention the role of vaccination to prevent measles.
During the weekend, Kennedy published an opinion article in Fox News that promoted the role of vaccination, but also said that vaccination was a personal option and encouraged parents to consult with their doctor.
Kennedy did not respond immediately to a comment request.
The one nominated by President Donald Trump to direct the CDC, Dr. Dave Weldon, plans to appear next week before a Committee of the US Senate some senators have expressed concerns about Weldon’s opinions about vaccines. Weldon declined to comment.
Dr. Wilbur Chen, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Maryland and former member of the CDC vaccine advice panel, said that the existence of such a study, conducted by the federal government, is in itself enough to generate doubts about vaccines among some members of the general public.
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“Send the signal that there is something worth investigating, so that means that there must be something between vaccines and autism,” Chen said.
Autism diagnoses in the US have increased significantly since 2000, which has intensified public concern.
Many researchers attribute the increase in diagnoses to a 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 the culprits, an idea that comes from a discredited study of British researcher Andrew Wakefield in the late 1990s, which linked the increase in autism diagnoses with the general use of the MMR vaccine.
The causes of autism are not clear. No rigorous study has found links between autism and vaccines or medications, or its components such as thimerosal or formaldehyde.
There is generalized speculation among scientists that their neurological characteristics can develop in the uterus, when the fetal brain is being configured. Studies have linked autism with maternal factors in pregnancy, and some research suggests a relationship with childbirth complications and time.
Trump, in a speech against Congress this week, cited the increase in autism among children.
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“Then, let’s discover what it is, and there is no one better than Bobby and all the people who are working with him,” Trump said, referring to Kennedy.
The White House did not make immediate comments on the study planned by the CDC.
Kennedy’s anti -vaccine opinions have generated concern among some Republicans. During the Kennedy confirmation hearing, Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and a doctor, suggested that the nominee disallowed any link between vaccines and autism.
Kennedy denied being anti -Vacunas, but did not recognize that such a link has been discredited.
This week, Cassidy questioned Trump’s nominee to direct the National Health Institutes, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, about his position about investigating a possible link between autism and children’s vaccines.
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“In general, I don’t think there is a link, according to my literature reading,” said Bhattacharya. “But we have a significant increase in autism rates, and I don’t think any scientist really knows the cause of this. I would support a broad scientific agenda based on data to obtain an answer on that. ”
With Reuters information
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