TAMA's statement on CDC's vaccines and autism webpage
- Nov 20
- 2 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2025
New York /New Jersey Metro Area
Official Statement from the Turkish American Medical Association (TAMA)
The Turkish American Medical Association, representing hundreds of Turkish American physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals across the United States, strongly condemns any recent suggestion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other federal health authorities that implies a possible link between childhood vaccines and autism spectrum disorder.
Such statements are not supported by scientific evidence and represent a dangerous departure from decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed research involving millions of children worldwide. More than 25 years of studies — including large population-based cohort studies from Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States, multiple systematic reviews, and reports from the National Academy of Medicine — have consistently and conclusively demonstrated that neither the MMR vaccine, thimerosal-containing vaccines, nor the recommended childhood vaccination schedule causes autism.
To revive this thoroughly debunked claim at the federal level is not a legitimate scientific debate; it is a political act that recklessly endangers the health of American children. Vaccines remain one of the most effective and life-saving public health interventions in history, preventing millions of deaths and disabilities every year. Any erosion of public confidence in vaccination threatens to reverse hard-won progress against preventable diseases such as measles, pertussis, polio, and others.
As physicians and healthcare professionals who serve diverse communities across this nation, we are deeply alarmed that taxpayer-funded agencies appear to be used to promote misinformation instead of protecting public health. We call on the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, and all federal health officials to immediately reaffirm the established scientific consensus on vaccine safety and to ensure that public health policy remains firmly grounded in evidence, not ideology.
The Turkish American Medical Association stands united with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the overwhelming majority of the medical and scientific community in defense of vaccination as a cornerstone of public health.
We urge all parents to continue trusting their pediatricians and to vaccinate their children on schedule. The lives and future health of our nation’s children depend on it.
On behalf of TAMA Board of Directors and Board of Trustees
S. Eralp Bellibas, MD, PhD, FAHA
President
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