The Nebraska Infectious Disease Society on Monday criticized changes made to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website page “Autism and Vaccines” and urged families to avoid misinformation.
The page, which was updated on Nov. 19, now says, “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”
The statement that the society released Monday said, “NIDS strongly affirms that extensive, rigorous and established scientific evidence shows that vaccines do not cause autism.”
Dr. Anne O’Keefe, a professor at the Creighton University School of Medicine and a member of the society, said Nebraskans can rely on their physicians and other organizations for information.
“I would start with your own physician, whether it's your child's pediatrician or your primary care doctor. They're the ones that will be able to answer your specific questions,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe said the society has also noticed social media discourse on the topic.
“There's a lot of a lot of stuff on social media that has questionable origin,” O’Keefe said. “I would be really careful if you're just hearing about something from someone that heard it on social media.”
National groups cited in the statement for information include the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association.
“Vaccines are safe and effective, and the very rare risks are much less than the clear benefits,” O’Keefe said.