CDC Plans Study on Vaccine-Autism Links Amid Measles Outbreak

The CDC is initiating a study to investigate potential links between vaccines and autism, despite extensive research disproving such connections, amid a significant measles outbreak in the U.S. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy criticized Dr. Jay Bhattacharya during his confirmation hearing as President Trump's nominee for NIH director, for suggesting further research into the debunked vaccine-autism theory. Bhattacharya acknowledged the lack of evidence linking the MMR vaccine to autism but expressed openness to funding new studies, which alarmed public health experts concerned about wasting resources. Cassidy emphasized that the vaccine-autism link has been exhaustively studied, arguing that NIH funding should focus on real health issues. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of promoting anti-vaccine rhetoric, has not definitively endorsed vaccinations, further complicating public health messaging. The ongoing measles outbreak has highlighted the dire consequences of declining vaccination rates fueled by misinformation.