CDC’s New Priorities Include Autism Research, Vaccine Safety

The priorities have been formally updated for the first time since President Donald Trump took office.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 25, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is focused on rebuilding trust, analyzing the safety and efficacy of vaccines, and better understanding autism, the agency said on Sept. 17.

The public health agency is dedicated to furthering the goals of President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC said in an updated mission statement on its website. Kennedy in August fired the agency’s first Senate-confirmed director.

Trump and Kennedy “are committed to restoring trust, transparency, and credibility to CDC,” the agency stated. “CDC is committed to those goals and is likewise committed to ensuring that its leadership and all decisions are public facing and more accountable.”

The agency also described its core mission as protecting Americans from diseases, including through detection and response.

It then listed specific priorities, including “rapid, evidence-based responses to crises,” research into vaccine safety and effectiveness, and advancing understanding of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

The CDC will make sure vaccine databases and datasets, as well as future agreements, will be available “through the least burdensome public use data agreements to restore trust and improve efficacy and safety through transparency and accountability.” It also said it will assist with broader governmental efforts to figure out what causes autism.

The CDC recently said it would be awarding money to researchers to look into any association between vaccines and autism.

Both Trump and Kennedy have been critical of how the CDC handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Kennedy, during a recent appearance before a Senate panel, said the CDC should not have advised masking for children as young as 2 or backed closing schools.

Trust in the CDC and public health has declined “due to inconsistent messaging, lack of transparency, and challenges in responding appropriately to emerging health threats,” the agency’s updated mission statement said, which has “undermined CDC’s ability to lead effectively during crises and has weakened public adherence to health recommendations.”

It said the CDC will restore trust by improving the transparency of data, making sure all recommendations are supported by evidence, and having its leaders interact with the public.

The updated statement referenced Trump’s order on “restoring gold standard science,” which said, in part, that agencies must “practice data transparency, acknowledge relevant scientific uncertainties, are transparent about the assumptions and likelihood of scenarios used, approach scientific findings objectively, and communicate scientific data accurately.”

The CDC also said it will not use taxpayer money to promote abortions, facilitate the use of illegal drugs, or encourage illegal immigration.

The mission statement was last updated in February 2024. The former statement described the CDC as “equitably protecting health, safety, and security,” through efforts such as increasing vaccine coverage and reducing the number of adolescent tobacco users.