Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long claimed that vaccines cause significant harm, including autism. He often cites the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a database of 12 million medical records, as evidence of a purported public health cover-up by the CDC. In 2023, as Secretary of Health, he initiated a study using the VSD to investigate the vaccine-autism link, despite numerous past studies disproving this connection.
Recently, Kennedy’s anti-vaccine supporters, like lawyer Aaron Siri and activist Del Bigtree, have suggested a government conspiracy to obstruct his research by claiming the CDC altered the VSD’s access. This mirrors a pattern seen during past administrations where initial suspicions of government concealment turned out to be unfounded. In response, a CDC spokesperson confirmed that management of VSD data remained unchanged and that the data is not housed at the CDC but distributed among several healthcare organizations for privacy and security.
The VSD has monitored vaccine safety since the 1990s, employing a network of data gathered from various health institutions. Past controversies surrounding its access were fueled by anti-vaccine advocates, notably the Geier father-son duo, who engaged in ethically dubious research practices.
Kennedy’s administration now reflects a shift, with allegations of CDC data manipulation amidst promises to uncover vaccine-related truths. Though concerns about access to raw data linger, experts emphasize that rigorous studies employing VSD data have consistently shown no link between vaccines and autism. As Kennedy promises breakthroughs, skepticism grows among his supporters, who may seek scapegoats should the anticipated results fail to materialize.
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