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WASHINGTON — Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that the number 61 is a leading cause of autism, calling the finding “one of the most significant public health discoveries of the last several decades” and urging Americans to “think carefully” about how and when they might expose themselves to it.
“We’ve been looking in all the wrong places,” Kennedy said at a press briefing held in a room that contained several apparently redacted instances of the number 61. “Vaccines, Wi-Fi, tap water — and look, those are still very much on the table — but the data on 61 is hard to ignore. It’s right up there with gremlins.”
Kennedy did not present the data.
Asked by a reporter to describe the mechanism by which a number causes a neurodevelopmental condition, Kennedy paused, nodded slowly, and said he appreciated the question.
The announcement follows a month-long HHS review Kennedy has described as “the most comprehensive audit of a number ever conducted by a federal agency, surpassing even seven,” though the agency has not released findings, a methodology, or confirmation that the audit took place. A spokesperson said the report is “substantially complete” and will be released “once some of the numbers in it have been ruled out as confounding variables.”
The CDC, which Kennedy has repeatedly vowed to restructure, issued a statement saying it was “aware of the Secretary’s remarks” and had “no additional comment at this time.” Three CDC epidemiologists who spoke to on condition of anonymity said they had comments—a lot of “fucking” comments—but that the comments were “not for publication.”
Dr. Marcia Oyelaran, a developmental pediatrician at Johns Hopkins who was not involved in the HHS review and was not aware there had been an HHS review, called the claim “medically incoherent” before asking a follow-up question of her own: “What the fuck?”
Kennedy, at the briefing, said he understood skepticism and welcomed it. “I was skeptical too,” he said. “Then I looked at how many times 61 comes up. It’s a lot. It’s more than you think.”
He then cited “clinical data.”
“My neighbors growing up. Their son had autism. They didn’t call it that back then, but it’s obvious what it was. 61 Jackson Ave. 61.”
“I have a cousin. Her locker in seventh grade was number 61. She’s fine. But her daughter isn’t.”
He continued:
“There was one recent study where it turned out that 100%—all 61 subjects—had autism.” (Kennedy was referring to a study published by the Journal of Pediatric Social Development in April that sought to learn about how autistic children cope with stress).
The announcement has prompted concern among parents, several of whom contacted HHS to ask whether 61 should be removed from their homes, offices, and schools, or whether adjacent numbers were safe, and whether the guidance applied to the number sixty-one when spelled out in full. HHS has not responded to those inquiries.
Kennedy closed the briefing by saying the findings were “just the beginning” and that HHS was already “looking very hard” at 73 and 23,013.
United HealthCare Group reportedly updated its policies immediately to reject claims where patients intentionally expose themselves to the number.
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