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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its website with a new stance on the potential link between vaccines and autism.

The new wording on the CDC’s site states, “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.

“Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.”

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The agency noted that the statement “vaccines do not cause autism” has been “historically disseminated” by the CDC and other federal health agencies in an effort to prevent vaccine hesitancy.

Previously, the CDC page stated, “Studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD).”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a “comprehensive assessment” of potential causes of autism, the CDC stated.

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Those include investigations on “plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links.”

The header “Vaccines do not cause autism” remains on the page but is followed by an asterisk indicating that it was not removed because of a prior agreement rather than because the evidence supports it.

The Children’s Health Defense applauded the CDC’s updated web page.

“Finally, the CDC is beginning to acknowledge the truth about this condition that affects millions, disavowing the bold, long-running lie that ‘vaccines do not cause autism,’” Mary Holland, president and CEO of Children’s Health Defense in New Jersey, told Fox News Digital.

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“No studies have ever proved this irresponsible claim; on the contrary, many studies point to vaccines as the plausible primary cause of autism. Thankfully, HHS has now launched a comprehensive assessment on the causes of autism, including an investigation of plausible biological mechanisms.”

Other medical organizations have spoken out against the possibility of vaccines contributing to autism.

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“Studies have repeatedly found no credible link between life-saving childhood vaccines and autism,” The American Academy of Pediatrics states on its website.

“Scientists are learning more about potential causes of autism all the time. One thing we know with certainty is that vaccines are not one of the causes. There is no single, root cause of autism.”

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The latest CDC data show that for children aged 8 years (born in 2014), about one in 31 (3.2%) were identified with autism spectrum disorder. In 2000, about one in 150 (0.67%) children were diagnosed.

Fox News Digital reached out to physicians and to the HHS requesting comment.

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that a resident of Grays Harbor County is the first person in the U.S. known to be infected with the H5N5 strain of avian influenza. 

The case also marks the country’s first human bird flu diagnosis since February.

The patient, described by officials as “an older adult with underlying health conditions,” remains hospitalized after showing influenza-like symptoms in early November. 

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The DOH stated that the individual “had a mixed backyard flock of domestic poultry at home that had exposure to wild birds.

“Additional testing shows the virus to be H5N5, an avian influenza virus that has previously been reported in animals but never before in humans.”

Domestic poultry and wild birds are considered the most likely sources of the virus exposure, though the health investigation is ongoing.

Public health experts have not found any increased risk to the public to date, according to the press release.

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“Transmission of avian influenza between humans is extremely rare and has never been documented in the United States,” the report states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DOH “currently consider the risk to the public from avian influenza to be low.”

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The DOH urges poultry owners, wildlife handlers and others who have contact with animals to exercise caution. 

Measures include avoiding contact with sick or dead birds, using appropriate protective equipment and reporting sick wildlife or domestic animals to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA).

The release also emphasizes that although the seasonal flu vaccine does not prevent bird flu infections, it is important because “infection with both viruses could result in the emergence of an avian influenza virus that is more easily transmitted from person to person.”

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Previously this year, the CDC declared the bird flu emergency officially over.

The agency’s emergency response to H5N1 bird flu, which was activated in 2024, was “deactivated” July 2, the agency told Reuters, citing declining animal infections and an absence of human cases since February.

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The H5N5 virus is a close cousin of H5N1. While both viruses come from birds and share part of their genetic code, H5N5 has a different “end piece” of its structure that changes how it behaves, experts say.

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While H5N1 has caused human illness — and even deaths — for years, H5N5 has mostly been limited to birds until now, per health officials.