Source: Axios, 20 November 2025
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has rewritten its webpage on autism and vaccines. The page previously said studies had found no link between vaccines and autism. It now says that the statement "vaccines do not cause autism" is not evidence-based because studies have not ruled out the possibility. The heading "Vaccines do not cause autism" was kept with an asterisk, under an agreement with Senator Bill Cassidy. US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. later said he had told the CDC to change the wording, and reports said the agency's career scientists were not consulted.
The change was not based on new research. Decades of large studies have found no link, including a Danish study of more than 650,000 children (Hviid and colleagues, 2019). Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) said the new wording reflects no new scientific evidence and urged a focus on supporting autistic people.
What Australian authorities say
Australian advice has not changed. On 24 November 2025 the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, said that data from multiple large, high-quality studies show the vaccines used in Australia are not linked to autism (Australian Journal of Pharmacy). An August 2026 information sheet from SKAI, a National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance collaboration funded by the Australian Government, reaches the same conclusion. See also our frequently asked questions about autism.
This is a short report on news published elsewhere, written by the Australian Autism ADHD Foundation. For advice about vaccination, please speak with your GP or another qualified health professional.