Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has walked back his September deadline for the for the agency to determine the cause of autism.
Why It Matters
Kennedy’s announcement in March that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would look into possible links between vaccines and autism raised questions due to the overwhelming scientific research that debunks the claims.
In April, Kennedy followed up, saying that the United States would determine the cause of autism, which he called is an “epidemic” spurred more by environmental toxins than genetics, by September.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Kennedy changed the timeline, saying that it would take “another six months.”
Newsweek has contacted the health department, via email, for comment.
AP
What To Know
“We’ll have some of the information,” Kennedy said after CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked about his April comments. “To get the most solid information, it’ll probably take us another six months.”
“So parents should not expect to know what causes autism by September anymore,” Collins pressed.
“As I said, we’re gonna replicate some of the studies that have already been done that look like sound studies,” Kennedy answered, “and we’ll know a lot from those and then we’ll know a lot more after.”
“But not the definitive answer by September?” Collins asked again.
“It depends what those reputable studies show,” Kennedy answered.
Later in the interview, the reporter pressed Kennedy for a more clear answer saying “it matters,” asking: “OK, so that timeline is moving from September to six months after September?”
“As I said, we’re going to begin to have a lot of information,” Kennedy responded. “We’re not gonna stop the studies in September.”
What People Are Saying
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement on April 15: “The autism epidemic has now reached a scale unprecedented in human history because it affects the young. The risks and costs of this crisis are a thousand times more threatening to our country than COVID-19. Autism is preventable and it is unforgivable that we have not yet identified the underlying causes. We should have had these answers 20 years ago.”
Roma Vasa, director of psychiatric services with the Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, previously told Newsweek: “I think the current HHS guidance as it pertains to autism reflects a major and concerning shift from what we know about the causes of autism. We have overwhelming research showing that vaccines do not cause autism. Rather, autism is caused by a combination of genes interacting with environmental influences.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen what results Kennedy and his researchers will present in September and what they will say about the next deadline then.