Checking In on the Vaccine Debate

High-profile voices on the right, such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have reignited public debates over the alleged link between autism and vaccines. (The Daily Beast)

The latest: Greene, a Georgia Republican, responded Monday to an interview clip of Kennedy claiming vaccines cause autism by tweeting: “I fully believe vaccines cause Autism.”

The research: Numerous large-scale studies have thoroughly examined vaccines and autism and found no causal relationship.

• In fact, one study, which looked at EVERY child born in Denmark over a period of 10 years, found MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination was linked to lower rates of autism.

• A 2014 meta-analysis published in Vaccine reviewed 10 studies covering over 1.2 million children and concluded there was no link between vaccines and autism.

The infamous Wakefield study: Much of the furor over vaccines and autism can be traced back to a 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield published in the influential medical journal, The Lancet.

• The study, which was retracted in 2010, claimed to find a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.

• Subsequent investigations showed Wakefield manipulated data to support his claims and had been paid to find a link between MMR and autism.

The White House stance: Speaking to reporters Monday, President-elect Trump took a relatively measured stance on the vaccine issue, saying he dislikes vaccine mandates but believes in the effectiveness of certain types of vaccinations, like polio.

• Trump also said Kennedy, his nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, will be “less radical” than people think.

• In the past, the president-elect has defied the “MAGA” base by championing COVID-19 shots.

If it’s not vaccines, what is it? Overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, policy changes and greater public awareness are thought to be responsible for a big chunk of the major spike in autism cases since the 1960s.

• For instance, studies have shown parents who are aware of how autism presents are more likely to get their children diagnosed.

• In 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines to recommend routine autism screenings for all children at 18 and 24 months.

• Last year, one of the doctors who helped loosen the definition of autism in the DSM-4 told the New York Post he was “very sorry for helping to lower the diagnosis bar.”

Bubba’s Two Cents

Asking questions and being critical about information is a great thing. The public health establishment didn’t exactly crown itself in glory during the pandemic, so I don’t blame anyone for being skeptical about what the experts are saying. But there’s a line between healthy skepticism and a pseudo-religious commitment to contrarianism.