During an interview with Time Magazine for its 2024 Person of the Year feature, President-elect Donald Trump says he may consider altering childhood vaccination programs in the United States, raising questions about vaccine safety and efficacy. Trump’s comments, paired with his appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have reignited debates around a theory linking vaccines to autism. In the interview, Trump stated he plans to have a “big discussion” with Kennedy about the future of vaccination programs. While Trump did not explicitly claim vaccines cause autism, he expressed concern. “The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible,” he said. “If you look at things that are happening, there’s something causing it.” He also announced plans for what he described as “very serious testing” to determine the safety of vaccines. However, vaccine safety has been extensively studied, with overwhelming evidence showing no link between vaccines and autism—a claim originating from a retracted 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield. The idea of a connection between vaccines and autism has been discredited by scientific research for over two decades. Studies consistently show that rising autism diagnoses are primarily due to expanded diagnostic criteria, heightened awareness, and broader access to screening. Wakefield’s study, which initially suggested a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, was later retracted by The Lancet. The journal deemed the conclusions “utterly false” following revelations of methodological flaws and undisclosed conflicts of interest. Wakefield subsequently lost his medical license for what regulators described as “dishonest and irresponsible” conduct. Despite this, the debunked theory continues to circulate in anti-vaccine circles, which Kennedy has been a prominent part of for years. Kennedy has said he does not plan to remove vaccines from the market but has previously questioned their safety. During the interview, Trump suggested some vaccines might be scrutinized under his administration. “He [Kennedy] does not disagree with vaccinations, all vaccinations. He disagrees probably with some,” Trump said. Public health advocates have raised alarms about the potential consequences of vaccine skepticism at the federal level. Vaccines are credited with virtually eradicating or significantly reducing diseases such as polio, measles, and whooping cough in the United States. A decline in vaccination rates could lead to the resurgence of these preventable illnesses. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)