Statement on CDC Decision to Study Vaccines and Autism

Vaccines have been thoroughly researched and administered to large numbers of people of all ages and have been proven to be very safe and effective in preventing the spread of many serious infectious diseases and dramatically reducing deaths. Decades of research and hundreds of carefully designed and scientifically sound studies show no link or association between vaccines and autism. 

The announcement that CDC will look at potential links between vaccines and autism means that significant federal resources will be diverted from crucial areas of study, including research into the unknown causes of autism, at a time when research funding is already facing deep cuts. 
 
Outbreaks of deadly diseases like measles – which is preventable if a person is vaccinated – should be the top priority of federal health officials, not revisiting established science. CDC’s study on the safety of vaccines could drive misinformation, leading to lower vaccination rates, more serious, vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks and a significantly weakened public health response.
 
— Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP – President, IDSA