Colorado Chooses Vaccines has expressed concern about recent changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Autism and Vaccines webpage. The group says the CDC is now promoting a claim that vaccines cause autism, which they describe as false.
“CDC career scientists did not make the change, and it contradicts more than three decades of research spanning millions of children. That research consistently found that vaccines do not cause autism,” said Dr. David Higgins of the Colorado Chooses Vaccines coalition.
The organization notes that this update from the CDC comes at a time when both Colorado and the United States are seeing increases in diseases preventable by vaccines, such as measles, pertussis (whooping cough), and influenza.
Health professionals, public health leaders, policymakers, and community organizations in Colorado are working together to provide families with clear information based on evidence. Colorado Chooses Vaccines says it supports these efforts to help residents navigate what it calls a rapidly changing federal vaccine landscape.
Coloradans looking for reliable information on vaccine safety can consult Immunize Colorado’s fact sheet or guides from parent-led groups like Vaccinate Your Family and the Autism Science Foundation on autism and vaccines.
For those seeking updates on respiratory virus trends in Colorado, data is available through a dashboard provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Additionally, families can view vaccination rates at specific schools using CDPHE’s College/University, school, and child care immunization data dashboard.
