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US Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement of an unlimited examine to disclose the reason for a so-called autism “epidemic” has alarmed medical specialists, who concern it might rekindle totally debunked conspiracy theories about vaccines.
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who has lengthy promoted disproven theories linking childhood vaccines to autism, mentioned Thursday that tons of of scientists would decide by September why autism charges have been rising.
“And we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures,” he added, in a remark extensively thought of to be a reference to vaccines.
Nonetheless autism organizations, docs and scientists rejected the concept that there’s an “autism epidemic,” saying 5 months was not sufficient time for such a examine—and that this topic has already been extensively checked out.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Community, a US nonprofit, mentioned Kennedy’s announcement was a “clear signal” that the well being division “intends to produce rigged and fraudulent research that supports Kennedy and (US President Donald) Trump’s pre-existing beliefs in a connection between autism and vaccines.”
Hugo Peyre, a toddler psychiatrist at College Hospital of Montpellier in France, instructed AFP that Kennedy’s feedback demonstrated “ignorance of the scientific literature.”
Dozens of scientific research over a long time have confirmed that there isn’t any hyperlink between autism and vaccines.
Genetic, environmental elements
There is no such thing as a single recognized trigger for autism, a posh situation associated to the event of the mind which might have an effect on how individuals behave, talk, study and work together with others.
There are possible many elements that make youngsters extra more likely to have autism, together with genetic and environmental elements, in line with the World Well being Group.
“Nearly 200 genes have been associated with autism, and approximately 80% of autism cases can be linked to genetic mutations,” Thomas Bourgeron, head of the human genetics and cognitive features lab at France’s Pasteur Institute, instructed AFP.
But vaccine skeptics together with Kennedy have repeatedly promoted the debunked conspiracy idea that there’s a hyperlink between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism.
This declare dates again to a retracted and repeatedly refuted examine by Andrew Wakefield, a British physician who was struck off the medical register for severe skilled misconduct.
But this misinformation nonetheless spreads extensively on social media, which might result in decrease vaccination charges.
Throughout a measles outbreak within the southwestern United States, the overwhelming majority of sufferers have been unvaccinated, in line with the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC).
A second baby died through the outbreak final week.
Why are autism circumstances rising?
A key argument put forth by vaccine skeptics is that autism circumstances have been hovering.
Round 1% of kids are autistic, the World Well being Group estimates. That’s up from 0.62% in 2012, in line with a 2022 examine.
Within the US, the speed of autism in youngsters born in 1992 was one in 150, which rose to at least one in 36 for these born in 2012, in line with the CDC.
The rising variety of autism diagnoses is partly because of rising consciousness in regards to the situation, specialists say.
And within the final couple of a long time, milder types of autism and associated situations have been folded into the umbrella time period of autism spectrum dysfunction (ASD).
So for Peyre, it’s past the pale to discuss an “autism epidemic.”
There is a vital distinction between how many individuals even have autism, “which corresponds to the state of health of the population and which seems to be stable,” and the way many individuals are being recognized, he emphasised.
Even when autism diagnoses have “increased dramatically since the early 2000s,” this doesn’t imply “that children are sicker,” he defined.
Bourgeron mentioned that “diagnostic criteria have changed dramatically in recent decades, with greater consideration given to people without intellectual disabilities—and better detection in girls.”
“Health care professionals and families are also much more attentive to autism spectrum disorders,” Peyre added.
Everybody agrees that extra analysis is required on the topic, with Peyre pointing particularly to a necessity to raised perceive danger elements earlier than start and the weeks afterwards.
However “the factors identified by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have already been dismissed by the scientific community with very high-quality studies,” he added.
© 2025 AFP
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RFK Jr’s autism ‘epidemic’ examine raises anti-vaxx fears (2025, April 12)
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