US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr personally directed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines do not cause autism, he told The New York Times.

In an interview published Friday, his comments provide clarity into who directed the CDC's website change, after many current and former staffers at the agency were surprised to see new published guidance on Wednesday that defies scientific consensus.

Mr Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, has upended the public health agencies he oversees, pushing for and enacting changes that have unsettled much of the medical community, which sees his policies as harmful for Americans.

"The whole thing about 'vaccines have been tested and there's been this determination mad

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