Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has alleged that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concealed an internal study indicating a 1,135% increase in autism risk associated with the hepatitis B vaccine. Kennedy claimed in an interview with Tucker Carlson that the CDC buried this study, which was reportedly led by researcher Thomas Verstraeten in 1999. He further asserted that the CDC manipulated data through multiple iterations to obscure the findings. Additionally, Kennedy stated that the CDC discontinued a vaccine injury reporting system that had found one in 37 vaccines resulted in an injury. The hepatitis B vaccine, which is typically administered to newborns shortly after birth, is central to these allegations. Kennedy referenced a secret meeting of CDC officials at Simpsonwood where these study results were discussed. He also mentioned internal CDC communications suggesting a deliberate avoidance of studying vaccine injury claims. These claims have been widely circulated but have not been independently verified or confirmed by the CDC.