Congressional Hearing Debates Unpublished Vaccine Study Amid Controversy
TL/DR –
A congressional hearing on Tuesday debated an unpublished study led by Marcus Zervos of Henry Ford Health, which compared chronic illnesses between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. The study, which was conducted in 2020 and has never been peer-reviewed or published, reportedly found no connection between vaccines and autism. However, it suggested that unvaccinated children had zero instances of various chronic conditions, a conclusion disputed by Jake Scott, a clinical associate professor of infectious diseases at Stanford, who argued that the study was fundamentally flawed due to vaccinated children having more healthcare visits and thus higher chances of diagnosis.
Congressional Hearing Debate on Unpublished Vaccine Study
A congressional hearing on Tuesday focused on an unpublished study concerning the impact of vaccines on chronic illnesses in children. The study, led by Marcus Zervos of Henry Ford Health in 2020, was never submitted for publication, prompting speculation about its validity.
Senator Ron Johnson, chair of the subcommittee and witness Aaron Siri, a lawyer who represented RFK Jr and the anti-vaccination non-profit Informed Consent Action Network, suggested the study was withheld due to job security concerns for the authors.
Limited information about the study is available, beyond claims from the aforementioned documentary trailer suggesting the unvaccinated group had no instances of brain dysfunction, diabetes, or psychological disabilities. However, experts argue against its credibility, due to lack of peer review or public access to the study.
Despite contrasting views, all agreed that the study found no link between vaccines and autism. Jake Scott, a clinical associate professor of infectious diseases at Stanford, highlighted flaws in the study, such as vaccinated children having more healthcare visits and therefore more opportunities for diagnosis of conditions like ADHD.
Scott referenced a Danish study published this July, which found no significant increase in risk for any investigated conditions in vaccinated children. Yet, Johnson and Siri expressed skepticism over the Danish study, citing the authors’ reluctance to release raw, de-identified data.
The hearing transitioned towards discussing general vaccine skepticism, notably the Covid-19 vaccine. Johnson presented graphics that omitted key information about the decline of measles death rates after vaccines were introduced. Additionally, measles was eliminated in the US in 2000, but resurged when vaccine adoption decreased, leading to 35 measles outbreaks in 2025, according to the CDC.
Toby Rogers, a fellow at the Brownstone institute whose study linking vaccines and autism was retracted, made alarming claims about the supposed crimes committed with vaccines. His controversial perspectives attracted applauds from the audience when asked about comparing the Covid-19 vaccine to the Holocaust.
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