The new U.S. Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has relaunched one of the most sensitive and discredited medical controversies: the alleged link between vaccines and autism. Now, he is doing it from the institutionalism of the Department of Health, with public resources, access to private data and the logistical support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The initiative, presented as an ambitious study to discover the causes of the increase in diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders, has already been pointed out by experts as an attempt to validate a theory that has been repeatedly refuted by the scientific community.

As reported by CBS News, NIH director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya revealed that the agency is consolidating private medical data from a variety of sources-including pharmacies, insurers, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and even devices such as smart watches-to be made available to 10 to 20 outside research groups that will receive funding for the study.

Bhattacharya championed the initiative as a "transformative" data platform designed to facilitate high-quality research in chronic disease and autism. "What we are proposing is a real-world data initiative that will enable real-time health surveillance," he told CBS News. He also assured that the data will be protected with "state-of-the-art technology" and that researchers will not be able to download it.

However, the very nature of the study has raised alarm, especially given RFK Jr.'s track record and recent statements. In March, he promised that "by September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic", although this deadline was later denied by Bhattacharya himself, who clarified that by then the call for scientific proposals is only expected to be opened.

What we talk about when we talk about "epidemic"?

Kennedy has called autism an "epidemic" and even a "preventable disease," statements that organizations such as the Autistic Self Advocacy Network consider stigmatizing and without scientific basis. The prevalence of autism diagnoses has increased, yes, but experts agree that this is due to improvements in detection methods, greater medical awareness and changes in diagnostic criteria.

According to CDC figures cited in several AFP notes, one in 31 eight-year-olds was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 2022, up from one in 150 in 2000. The scientific community clarifies that this does not represent a higher actual incidence of the condition, but a more accurate and broader measurement.

Thomas Bourgeron, a geneticist at the Pasteur Institute, explained that about 80% of cases have a genetic basis, with more than 200 genes involved. "The factors pointed out by Robert Kennedy Jr. have already been ruled out by the scientific community with very good quality studies," child psychiatrist Hugo Peyre told AFP.

Science vs. politics

This initiative is part of a broader context of distrust of science driven by the Trump administration. More than 1,900 scientists from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have charged that the political use of research is undermining the search for scientific truth.

The risk, experts say, is that public funds will be channeled into research designed to support prior beliefs, not produce rigorous knowledge. Jennifer Jones of the Center for Science and Democracy warned that "the level of misinformation and confusion this administration is creating will take generations to undo."

Of further concern is that Kennedy has appointed unlicensed anti-vaccine activists, such as David Geier, to roles within this process. "We're going to fill research slots with junk science and discredited researchers," warned Jones.

Overall Impact?

For many families in the United States, government rhetoric may make it even more difficult for children with autism to access diagnosis, support and services. Rather than promoting inclusion and understanding, such initiatives could accentuate stigma, blame, and distrust of the health care system.

The implications are also troubling from a privacy standpoint. Despite promises of data security, the massive use of medical records, including from personal devices such as smart watches, raises questions about the limits of informed consent and the ethical handling of sensitive information.

With state resources, institutional backing and unprecedented access to data on millions of people, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems poised to reopen a debate that science has already closed. But when power is used to validate disinformation, it is not only the prestige of public research that is at stake. It is the health of a generation and confidence in science itself.

With information from AFP