The "debate" on vaccinations as a possible cause for autism has been settled, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who praises President Donald Trump's pivot amid a measles outbreak, Politico reported.
"I'm delighted by the president's very strong leadership last week," HHS Secretary Azar told Politico. "There was debate about this issue, but it's been settled. The scientific community generated definitive information, so we can reassure every parent there is no link."
President Trump has campaigned in 2016, saying the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine had been linked to autism, but science has since successfully debunked that hypothesis. Now President Trump is urging families to get vaccinated.
"The president is very clear that children should get their shots, that parents should make sure they are up to date," Azar told reporters, per Politico. "Most of us have never seen these devastating diseases and that's how we want to keep it. They belong in the history books and not in our emergency rooms."
There remain measles outbreaks in New York, but a 72-case outbreak in the state of Washington has been contained, according to Center for Disease Control's Nancy Messonnier, Politico reported.
"The longer they continue the greater the chance measles will get a foothold in the U.S.," Messonier told Politico.
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