President-elect Donald Trump appeared to entertain the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism as he answered questions from reporters at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club on Monday.
Trump said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, a proponent of vaccines, would investigate the reasons for rising autism rates.
Trump appeared to respond to Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s defense of the polio vaccine in the Senate, calling himself “a strong supporter of it.”
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“You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine,” Trump said.
A look at autism rates and why they’re rising:
What is autism?
Autism is a developmental disorder caused by differences in the brain. There are many possible symptoms, many of which overlap with other diagnoses. This may include delays in language and learning, social and emotional withdrawal, and an unusual need for routine. Scientists believe genetics may play a role.
What is the autism rate among American children?
Of all American 8-year-olds in 2020, 1 in 36 had autism. This is evident from the most recent estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is an increase compared to 1 in 44 two years earlier.
Why is the number of autism cases increasing?
There are no blood or biological tests for autism. It is identified by making judgments about a child’s behavior.
For decades, the diagnosis was only given to children with severe communication or social problems and children with unusual, repetitive behavior. But about thirty years ago, the term became shorthand for a group of milder, related conditions known as “autism spectrum disorders.”
“Most of the increase in recent decades has occurred in relatively mildly affected children and adults, so perhaps we wouldn’t have called it autism in the past,” explains Maureen Durkin, a professor of public health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
With improved screening and autism services, diagnosis is increasingly being made at younger ages. And there has also been increased awareness and advocacy for Black and Hispanic families, which has led to an increase in the number of diagnosed autism among these groups.
Does autism have anything to do with vaccines?
No. Scientists have ruled out a link between vaccines and autism, a theory that emerged from falsified information in a 1998 article that was later retracted by the medical journal that published it.
Repeated scientific studies in the US and abroad have found no evidence that vaccines in general or vaccines containing thimerosal cause autism. That preservative has been removed from routine childhood immunizations; Although it remains in some flu vaccines, there are versions without thimerosal.
The American Academy of Pediatrics calls vaccines “one of the most important medical innovations of our time.”
What did Mitch McConnell say about vaccines?
McConnell, who had polio as a child, said any Trump nominees seeking Senate confirmation should “refrain” from efforts to discredit the polio vaccine.
“Attempts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not only uninformed — they are dangerous,” McConnell said in a statement Friday. “Anyone seeking Senate approval to serve in the next administration would do well to avoid even the appearance of association with such efforts.”
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
