Robert F Kennedy Jr said that one in every 31 Americans is now diagnosed with autism
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has called autism a far worse epidemic than Covid-19. Speaking on 'The Cats Roundtable' radio show, Kennedy Jr argued the impact of autism on the country was devastating, particularly because it affected children from a young age.
"This is an epidemic. It dwarfs the Covid epidemic and the impacts on our country because Covid killed old people," he said. "Autism affects children and affects them at the beginning of their lives, the beginning of their productivity."
Kennedy Jr underscored one in every 31 Americans was now diagnosed with autism, warning the economic cost of the disorder could rise to $1 trillion annually by 2035. He also mentioned that about 26 per cent of individuals with autism may never live independently, and some may never reach their potential due to the early onset of the condition.
"We're taking kids that should be healthy, that should be contributing to society ... that should be ... reaching their potential ... and we're injuring them very early in life. It's an epidemic," he said.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains a condition with no single known cause, though both genetics and environmental factors are believed to play a role, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Last week, Kennedy Jr announced that his department would investigate several "environmental factors" that could contribute to the rise in autism diagnoses, including ultrasound scans, mould, pesticides, food chemicals, medicines, and contamination in air and water.
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