The Department of Health and Human Services has launched a “massive testing and research effort” aimed at determining the cause of the “autism epidemic” by September, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who has cited supposed links between immunizations and rising childhood rates of autism, expressed concern during a White House Cabinet meeting about the “most recent numbers” showing that 1-in-31 children are being diagnosed with autism – up from 1-in-10,000 decades ago.
“We’ve launched a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world,” the HHS secretary told President Trump. “By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.”
“It’s a horrible statistic,” Trump said of the latest autism rate figures. “There’s got to be something artificial out there that’s doing this.”
The president floated that “maybe it’s a shot” that’s causing autism rates to spike.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is under HHS, states that research shows “vaccines are not associated” with autism.
The agency attributes rising rates of childhood autism to a “combination of factors including diagnostic practices and access to services.”
In an interview with Fox News, Kennedy indicated that vaccines will be among several variables scientists plan to explore.
“We are going to look at vaccines, but we’re going to look at everything,” Kennedy said. “Everything is on the table: Our food system, our water, our air, different ways of parenting, all the kind of changes that may have triggered this epidemic.”
“It is an epidemic. Epidemics are not caused by genes … you need an environmental toxin,” the former environmental lawyer said.
David Geier, a prominent figure within the anti-vaccine community, has reportedly joined HHS to lead the autism research effort.
Kennedy was adamant during his Senate confirmation hearing that he was not “antivaccine” and earlier this week he expressed support for people getting measles vaccinations amid a deadly outbreak of the disease in Texas.
“My position is people should get the measles vaccine,” he told CBS News.
