Being a parent means making important decisions on your child’s behalf. And that can be borderline terrifying when our country’s health agencies seem at odds with the rest of the medical community.
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its webpage on vaccines and autism from stating “vaccines do not cause autism” to incorrectly stating that “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” The page also casts doubt on advice around vaccines and health given by the global medical community, stating that studies that support a link between vaccines and autism “have been ignored by health authorities.”
This comes on the heels of a change in federal recommendations that make it harder to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which was once widely recommended for everyone aged 6 months and up. The Trump Administration has also declared a link between acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and autism, even though that’s also unproven.
Distrust in vaccines isn’t a new thing. But what is unique is that we’re now seeing skeptical commentary and statements on vaccines from federal agencies that are considered the authority on health in the U.S. That’s throwing off parents across the country—and raising vaccine concerns and questions at the pediatrician’s office.
“I’m getting a lot of questions from families now because they are confused—there’s a lot of misinformation online and they hear conflicting information from different sources,” Katie Lockwood, MD, pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, tells SELF. “They come to their pediatrician as a trusted source of information.”
Pediatricians say they’re trying to give patients and their families the best, most direct information possible. “I’m giving clear, science-based explanations—no jargon, no judgment, no politics,” Inderpal Randhawa, MD, a pediatrician and medical director of the Children’s Pulmonary Institute at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, tells SELF. “Families want to understand risk. I remind them that medicine isn’t about fear; It’s about probabilities. And the probability overwhelmingly favors vaccination.”
Mark Hicar, MD, PhD, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in New York, tells SELF that the majority of the public is still supportive of vaccines and follows public health recommendations. “However, there have been continuous downward trends in vaccine uptakes that are concerning,” he says.
This is a lot for parents to try to navigate on their own. With all of that in mind, we consulted with four pediatricians to learn more about the biggest vaccine concerns they’re fielding right now, along with how they’re responding. Here’s what they shared.
1. What does the science say about vaccines and autism?
There is no established link between childhood vaccines and autism—that’s a sentiment echoed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), World Health Organization (WHO), and many more major health organizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used to be on that list, too—until last week.
