CDC reports autism now affects 1 in 31 children; Health Secretary says better awareness alone cannot explain the rise.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on April 16 that a dramatic rise in autism cases among American children is being driven by environmental factors—not genetics—and that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will soon begin new research aimed at identifying the cause. Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Kennedy said autism is “a preventable disease,” listing potential culprits such as mold, air pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and rising parental age.
“We have really good genetic markers now, and they provide a vulnerability,” Kennedy explained. “But those genetic markers alone are not going to dictate your destiny. You need an environmental toxin.”
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The remarks came one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing autism prevalence has jumped to 1 in 31 children—up from 1 in 36 in 2020 and 1 in 150 in 2002. The report’s co-author, Rutgers University professor Walter M. Zahorodny, echoed Kennedy’s concern. “It must be triggered or caused by environmental risk factors,” Zahorodny said during the briefing, calling the surge “a true increase” that cannot be explained away by diagnostic changes alone.
“There is a better awareness of autism,” Zahorodny said, “but a better awareness cannot be driving a disability of autism to increase by 300 percent in 20 years.”
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that affects behavior, communication, and social interaction. The CDC notes contributing factors may include older parental age and genetic conditions such as fragile X syndrome. However, Kennedy rejected the idea that rising diagnoses are simply the result of increased awareness or better screening.
“Doctors and therapists in the past were not stupid,” he said. “They weren’t missing all these cases. The epidemic is real.”
Kennedy cited a study from North Dakota that once placed the rate of developmental disability at 3.3 per 10,000 children. “If you accept the epidemic deniers’ narrative,” he said, “you have to believe that researchers in North Dakota missed 98.8 percent of the children with autism.” The researchers later confirmed they had only missed one case.
Still, the Autism Society of America responded to the new CDC data by stating that the rise “does not signal an ‘epidemic’” and “reflects diagnostic progress.”
Earlier this month, Kennedy told a Cabinet meeting that the U.S. was initiating a major project to determine autism’s causes. The Department of Health and Human Services has since named the National Institutes of Health as a participant, but has not revealed which scientists are involved.
“The NIH is fully committed to leaving no stone unturned in confronting this catastrophic epidemic—employing only gold-standard, evidence-based science,” a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times. NIH has not responded to follow-up inquiries.
“We will have some of the answers by September,” Kennedy promised. “It will be an evolving process. We’re going to remove the taboo. People are going to know that they can research and follow the science, regardless of what it says.”