Senators Looney, Duff, and Anwar: CDC Must Not Amplify Dangerous Vaccine Myths

HARTFORD – In response to recently posted false claims on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting a link between childhood vaccines and autism, Connecticut Senate Democratic leaders issued the following statements reaffirming the scientific consensus and the need for trustworthy public health communication.

“It is deeply troubling that the CDC is now defending thoroughly debunked misinformation about vaccines and autism,” said Senate President Martin Looney (D–New Haven) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D–Norwalk). “Connecticut families deserve clear, science-based public health guidance. Promoting long-disproven health care myths will result in needless illness and deaths in our country. This chaos and confusion are what happen when President Trump appoints discredited kooks and conspiracy theorists to critical government roles. We call on Connecticut Republicans to join us and our state’s public health experts in reaffirming the overwhelming medical consensus: vaccines are safe, effective, and critical to protecting our communities.”

“As a physician and public health advocate, I want to be unequivocal: there is no credible scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism,” said State Senator Saud Anwar, Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee. “Decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed research confirm their safety, and any suggestion otherwise risks undermining public confidence and putting children in harm’s way. Vaccines save lives, and they remain one of the most effective tools we have to prevent serious disease.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193