In a dramatic and contentious US Senate hearing, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine activist and presidential candidate, launched a scathing attack on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accusing the agency of a deliberate and systemic cover-up.
The hearing, which descended into heated exchanges, saw Kennedy present claims that the CDC had manipulated critical data to obscure a potential connection between vaccines and a rise in chronic childhood illnesses, specifically neurological conditions.
The Core Allegations
Kennedy's testimony centred on a study he alleges was buried by the CDC. He claimed that agency researchers discovered a significant correlation between the mercury-based preservative thiomersal (thimerosal) in vaccines and a dramatic increase in neurological disorders, including autism, in children.
"They knew it in 2000, they knew it in 2001, they knew it in 2002," Kennedy asserted, alleging that rather than acting on these findings, top officials engaged in a campaign to conceal the data and discredit the science.
A Clash of Ideologies
The session highlighted the deep and polarising divide in the United States over public health policy and vaccine safety. Kennedy, representing a growing movement of vaccine sceptics, positioned himself as a whistleblower against a corrupt and captured federal agency.
Democratic senators on the panel pushed back vigorously, labelling his claims "dangerous misinformation" that threatens public health and undermines decades of robust scientific evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
Reactions and Repercussions
The hearing has ignited a firestorm of debate across media and political circles. Public health experts and mainstream medical organisations have universally condemned Kennedy's allegations, reiterating that numerous large-scale studies have found no credible link between vaccines and autism.
However, the spectacle of a Senate platform being used to amplify these long-debunked theories has raised concerns about the politicisation of science and the potent influence of the anti-vaccine movement in American politics.
