Has the CDC ever been caught destroying and hiding evidence about vaccine safety?
Have you seen the movie Vaxxed? They talk about a big coverup over a study about vaccines and autism, don’t they? And how the CDC whistleblower’s coauthors destroyed a bunch of evidence…
Except that they didn’t.
And no, the CDC never hid data about mercury, vaccines, and autism either.
Has the CDC Been Hiding and Destroying Evidence About Vaccine Safety?
Why do some folks continue to bring up these anti-vaccine talking points that have been refuted a thousand times already?

There are a few reasons, none of which are true.
The Verstraeten Study
First is a presentation of two abstracts about thimerosal containing vaccines (TCVs) by Thomas Verstraeten in 1999 at a Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) conference, which were discussed at the Simpsonwood Conference, and were later published, finding “no consistent significant associations were found between TCVs and neurodevelopmental outcomes.”
So what’s the problem?
Anti-vaccine folks think that Phase I of the trial found statistically significant evidence of adverse events after getting thimerosal containing vaccines and that they manipulated the data to make it go away in Phase II.
“Although the analysis says the increased autism risk is not significant, testimony by Dr. Mark Geier before Congress in December 2002 said that the slope of the curve was in fact statistically significant.”
VSD Subgroup Analysis of Spring 2000 Obtained by SafeMinds from The Center for Disease Control – Summer, 2001
Many folks will find it ironic that Dr. Geier is considered an expert on manipulating data about vaccines and thimerosal, but that’s not what happened in the Verstraeten study.
The CDC Whistleblower
Of course, the other big conspiracy about the CDC destroying and hiding evidence comes from the CDC Whistleblower story.
A story in which the “whistleblower” has stated that:
“I want to be absolutely clear that I believe vaccines have saved and continue to save countless lives. I would never suggest that any parent avoid vaccinating children of any race. Vaccines prevent serious diseases, and the risks associated with their administration are vastly outweighed by their individual and societal benefits.
My concern has been the decision to omit relevant findings in a particular study for a particular sub group for a particular vaccine. There have always been recognized risks for vaccination and I believe it is the responsibility of the CDC to properly convey the risks associated with receipt of those vaccines.
I have had many discussions with Dr. Brian Hooker over the last 10 months regarding studies the CDC has carried out regarding vaccines and neurodevelopmental outcomes including autism spectrum disorders. I share his belief that CDC decision-making and analyses should be transparent. I was not, however, aware that he was recording any of our conversations, nor was I given any choice regarding whether my name would be made public or my voice would be put on the Internet.”
William W. Thompson, Ph.D.
Remember, Dr. Thompson disagreed with his coauthors about how they handled some of the data, and he wanted folks to know about it.
The data wasn’t thrown out in a trash can, as some have suggested.
And unlike Brian Hooker’s study, which has been retracted, the original DeStafano study, which Thompson was talking about, has been reanalyzed and found to be sound.
Myths of Fraud at the CDC
Of course, there’s more.
At least more accusations, most of which come from the same person – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the guy who’s Deadly Immunity article was retracted because it contained so many errors (some described them as lies).

What Kennedy never mentions though, is that in 2005, Senator Mike Enzi and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee conducted an 18-month investigation into allegations of misconduct by the CDC, especially in connection with the CDC’s study of vaccine safety and thimerosal.
“Our investigation shows that public health officials conducted thorough, science based studies on autism and vaccines.”
Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY)
But why continue to attack the CDC?
Because that’s how propaganda works.
More on Myths of Fraud at the CDC
- Is The CDC Hiding Data About Mercury, Vaccines, And Autism?
- CDC Cleared
- Simpsonwood, thimerosal, and vaccines (II)
- Enzi Says Investigation Does Not Support Allegations Of Misconduct In Autism Research
- Acid flashbacks to antivaccine conspiracy theories from nine years ago
- CDC whistleblower – zombie anti-vaccine trope still lives
- Multiple Vaccine Oversight Committees Ensure Our Public Safety
- Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe
- Analysis and Reanalysis: The Controversy Behind MMR Vaccinations and Autism, part 1
- Analysis and Reanalysis: The Controversy Behind MMR Vaccinations and Autism, part 2
- Study – Safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a two-phased study of computerized health maintenance organization databases.
- Study – Age at first measles-mumps-rubella vaccination in children with autism and school-matched control subjects: a population-based study in metropolitan Atlanta.
- CDC – Timeline: Thimerosal in Vaccines (1999-2010)
- “Statement of William W. Thompson, Ph.D., Regarding the 2004 Article Examining the Possibility of a Relationship Between MMR Vaccine and Autism
- No, the autism prevalence in Denmark did not go down with the removal of thimerosal (again!)
- Hey, Interpol, I Found Your Autism Researcher Fugitive
- Review of Trace Amounts – bad science and conspiracies
You are the ones engaging in propaganda. The bullshit you spew is epic. You guys are crooked to the core. The public would be fascinated to see your children’s vaccination records. You definitely don’t use the garbage you are pushing. Maybe you’d like to explain why to the public? Didn’t think so. When we catch you – and we will – you guys are going to get strung up.