Trump publicizes the vaccine-ASD fable

From Medpage Today:

“Speaking about the order at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder . . .”

 

Uh, no. What’s been rising is the rate of ASD *diagnoses,” due to changes in classification criteria and increased awareness. There’s no evidence that the incidence of ASD is increasing and there’s no evidence that vaccines have anything to do with ASD. The rates of childhood vaccination in the US have not increased.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/vaccines/122557?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2026-08-10&mh=eb71348a5ff6ae370cc6759bc5dc3300&zdee=gAAAAABm4u1YoCP4y5SBTJUyUyqo9KxZhft26L1xeGdP0BzzQQN1Pb_ifR6vFqhFh-3U6Q_nU7DbA-EawzzXKxSRhMOwjrOGuOKbf7OE641eN0HfnK6eObE%3D&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%20Evening%20-%20Randomized%202026-08-10&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_dual-gmail-definition

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