A US congressional hearing on Tuesday titled “How the Corruption of Science Has Impacted Public Perception and Policies Regarding Vaccines” focused heavily on an unpublished study comparing chronic illness rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. The study, led by Marcus Zervos of Henry Ford Health, was completed in 2020 but never submitted for publication, according to testimony.
Senator Ron Johnson, chair of the subcommittee, and witness Aaron Siri, a lawyer representing anti-vaccination groups, claimed the study was withheld because authors feared losing their jobs. However, Henry Ford Health stated the report was not published because it “did not meet the rigorous scientific standards we demand as a premier medical research institution.” The study has not been peer-reviewed and its data is not publicly available.
Witnesses on both sides agreed the study found no link between vaccines and autism. Jake Scott, a clinical associate professor at Stanford, testified that the study was “fundamentally flawed,” noting that vaccinated children had twice the follow-up time and more healthcare visits, increasing the chance of diagnoses. He highlighted that the study reported zero ADHD cases among thousands of unvaccinated children, despite a national prevalence of 11%, suggesting conditions went undiagnosed.
Scott also referenced a July 2024 Danish study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which found no statistically significant link between aluminium-absorbed childhood vaccines and 50 conditions, including ADHD and autism. That study analysed over a million vaccinated children and 15,000 unvaccinated children, providing a robust comparison to the unpublished work.
