CDC moves deeper into Kennedy's world

Many Long Islanders celebrated last week, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention embraced their long-held views.

"This is what we voted for," one advocate posted on social media.

"Thank you, Bobby, and a million hearts and minds," wrote another, referring to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

They were applauding the CDC's updated website, which says the notion that vaccines do not cause autism is "not an evidence-based claim" and studies supporting a link between the two have been "ignored by health authorities."

It's a win for local anti-vax advocates. But they have larger goals, including reinstating the religious exemption to vaccine requirements and ending childhood vaccine mandates altogether.

So, the rest of us must pay attention.

To be clear, the CDC's revised webpage is not applause-worthy. It now contains inaccuracies and long-debunked theories regarding the disproven link between immunization and autism. The language twists itself into knots, asserting that studies "have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines contribute to the development of autism." 

The only surprise in that word salad is that it took longtime vaccine critic Kennedy 10 months to make the change.

Also worth noting: The website's header remains truthful: "Vaccines do not cause Autism." But it comes with an asterisk, saying it remains because Kennedy promised Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted for Kennedy's confirmation, that it would. The rest of the page rejects that headline and dozens of studies backing it.

The risks are significant. Those already on the fence about vaccination will believe what they read and won't get necessary shots — or give them to their children. People — especially young children — will die. And as doubt in science, medicine and public health grows, local health professionals are left with a near-impossible job. After the CDC updates, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services posted facts about vaccines and autism on social media. In the comments, anti-vaccine residents decried the post, citing the CDC as their new favorite source.

Meanwhile, those who believe the science are forced to disbelieve the federal government and its public health framework, raising a fear that when the next public health emergency comes along, we won't know whom or what to trust. 

There's more to come. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets next month, with the childhood vaccine schedule on the agenda. The CDC's revisions don't bode well. A troubling bill in Congress, cosponsored by CD1 Rep. Nick LaLota, would require states to offer a religious or philosophical exemption to vaccine requirements, which New York has banned.

Then there's the ultimate anti-vax objective: getting rid of vaccination requirements for school-age children altogether. That's where the real danger lies.

Hopefully, most parents still know the truth: that vaccines are safe, effective and necessary. They must listen to local and state public health officials, along with physicians and scientists, trust the science, combat the falsehoods and fear-mongering, and ultimately, protect their children.