 "Robert Kennedy Jr. File Image/Reuters")
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has sparked fresh controversy by calling autism a “preventable disease,” contradicting decades of medical research. While Kennedy insists that environmental toxins may be behind the rise in autism cases, experts maintain that autism is a complex neurological condition with no single known cause — and certainly not a disease that can be “prevented.”
He also said to launch thorough studies to find out if environmental factors are playing a role.
Rising autism cases in US
His statement came a day after the CDC reported that about 1 in 31 children in the US have autism, up significantly since 2020.
“This is a preventable disease. We know it’s environmental exposure — it has to be,” said Kennedy. “Genes do not cause epidemics; they can provide a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin,” he added.
“Autism destroys families," Kennedy said. “More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this.”
Autism a ‘preventable disease’: Kennedy
Kennedy called autism a “preventable disease,” although scientists say it’s not a disease but a complex brain disorder. It affects people in different ways and can cause delays in speech, learning, and social or emotional development. Some signs of autism may not be noticed until adulthood.
Experts have studied autism for decades but haven’t found a single cause. While genetics play a role, other possible factors include the father’s age, the mother’s weight, diabetes during pregnancy, or exposure to certain chemicals.
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More ShortsKennedy said his department will study all of these environmental factors and more. He had earlier set a September deadline to find out what causes autism, but now says they expect to have at least “some” answers by then. The effort will include funding research at universities, and Kennedy said scientists will be free to “follow the science, no matter what it says.”
According to the CDC’s latest report, about 1 in 31 children in the US had autism in 2022 — up from 1 in 36 in 2020. The data was collected from 14 states and Puerto Rico, focusing on 8-year-olds, since most autism cases are diagnosed by that age.
Boys are still more likely to be diagnosed than girls, and the highest rates are among Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Black children.
Kennedy pushed back against the idea that the rise in autism cases is just due to greater awareness. But autism experts say better awareness, improved medical tools, and more recognition of milder cases are the main reasons for the increase.
“It’s hard for many people to understand this because the causes of autism are complex,” said Annette Estes, who heads the autism centre at the University of Washington.
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic now leading US health dept
Kennedy Jr, now the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, has been a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement for years. He has often questioned the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, even though scientists widely agree they are safe and essential for public health.
Kennedy has claimed that vaccines cause autism — a theory that has been thoroughly disproven by research. He has also pushed conspiracy theories, including that vaccines are part of a government plan to harm certain groups. In his 2015 book Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak, he called for removing a mercury-based preservative from vaccines, even though studies have shown it’s not harmful in the small amounts used.
His group, Children’s Health Defense, spread a lot of vaccine misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kennedy has compared vaccine rules to Nazi policies and suggested that the COVID vaccine is part of a plot by Bill Gates to control the population — claims that have been widely criticised.