Surprise: Trump’s choice as CDC Director spreads debunked claim that vaccines can cause autism

As you may have heard by now, a lot of people are deeply concerned Donald Trumpchoice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ARRIVE run Department of Health and Human Services because of Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views—which included female expose idea that vaccines in children can cause autism. They were worried about the situation not only because Kennedy’s statement made it clear he was dismissive of scientific evidence, but also because vaccines were important in preventing children from getting sick. suffer from preventable diseases. However, Kennedy is not the only potential health official nominated by Trump to have spent years spreading the idea that certain vaccines can cause autism: Dave Weldon, So is Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

the Washington Post report that Weldon—a physician and former congressman whom anti-vaccine activists want to lead the CDC during Trump’s first term—has “a record of promoting unproven links between vaccines and disease autism in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.” vaccine.” The newspaper noted that that record “raises concerns among some public health experts about his ability to run the CDC,” given the fact that, if he is confirmed acknowledged, “Weldon could undermine confidence in lifesaving shots at a time when infectious disease threats such as measles and whooping cough are on the rise.”

In a 2002 Congressional hearing, Weldon argued that the CDC had not been transparent about vaccine safety, saying: “Until we have a free and open dialogue within the scientific community study, I don’t think I will be satisfied.” that there is no data to suggest that some children may experience serious side effects from some of these vaccines that actually go undetected, that go unnoticed, and that they may actually cause disease autism.” A few years later, during an event at an autism treatment center, he said that when he started “looking into this topic” of autism, he “then learned that there are many in the research community say the incidence of this disease is skyrocketing. Certainly my personal observation is that it seems to be increasing.” (Like Parcel note, “researchers attribute the increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders to environmental and genetic factors as well as increased access to early diagnosis and intervention.” ) According to Josh Sharfstein, A former Democratic staffer who served on the House Government Reform Committee, Weldon “completely and absolutely rejected” data disproving a link between vaccines and autism during his time in office. National Assembly. Weldon, Sharfstein told Parcel, “There seems to be a closed view on this issue.”

It’s no surprise that Weldon continued to promote the debunked link between vaccines and autism after leaving Congress. According to Parcel:

In 2013, he received an award for “courage and vision” from AutismOne, an organization that promotes the discredited link between vaccines and autism. During that conference, Kennedy, in a keynote speech, likened vaccinating children to sending them to “Nazi death camps,” according to footage obtained by NBC News. AutismOne’s CEO declined to comment.

In 2016, Weldon repeated his dismissal of vaccine safety science in the film Vaxxed, via Andrew Wakefield, who sparked the modern anti-vaccine movement with his 1998 study linking the MMR vaccine to autism. An investigation by the British General Medical Council, which regulates doctors, found Wakefield guilty of professional misconduct in 2010, saying he acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly.” responsibility” and banned him from practicing medicine. Lancet retracted his study According to social media posts at the time, during the film’s promotional tour, Wakefield introduced Weldon as the ideal choice to lead the CDC during the first Trump administration. Wakefield did not respond to a request for comment.

And in 2019, Weldon repeated the false claim that “some children can develop autism spectrum disorder due to vaccines” during an appearance on a television show broadcast by the conservative Sinclair network.