AAP President: Keep Funding Priorities on Children's Health, Vaccines

By Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics 

Vaccines are the most important tool we have to help children’s immune systems learn to recognize and resist serious diseases, so they can stay healthy and do the important work of childhood: playing, learning and growing in their families and communities. When we give something to our children, we want to know it is safe. That’s why repeated studies in multiple countries, involving large numbers of people, have studied the safety of vaccines. This includes examining the question of a connection with autism. We know from this repeated research that there is not a link. Devoting more research dollars to answer a question that is already known does not add to our knowledge about the safety of vaccines. It does a disservice to individuals with autism and their families by diverting funding that is needed to learn more about autism and how we can strengthen supportive communities. We should be talking about prioritizing research on a wide range of child health priorities to explore what will help every child  thrive and reach their fullest potential.  

It is also important to note that autistic individuals are just that – individuals who provide tremendous value to our society and enrich our communities. We encourage dedicating resources toward evidence-based best practices that ensure that every child receives the care and opportunities they deserve. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.