US plans massive health database to study autism – will it work?

When Robert F Kennedy Jr took over as head of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this year, it was clear that identifying causes of autism would be one of his top priorities. Before becoming the country’s highest-ranking public health official, Kennedy spent much of his career peddling debunked claims that vaccines were behind rising autism rates. Now, he has declared autism an epidemic – and is launching a $50 million initiative to address it.