In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.
A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.
Another leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust. Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.
He is now Trump's secretary of HHS.
His first two weeks have been busy. His short tenure has been marked by mass firings of CDC personnel, many tasked with disease detection and outbreak response; the cancellation of a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee meeting that would have selected the virus strains for next season’s flu vaccine (he has said he suspects a disorder that strains his vocal cords was caused by the flu vaccine); the indefinite postponement of a CDC advisory committee that votes on recommendations for childhood vaccine schedules; the cancellation of pro-vaccination advertising campaigns, reportedly shifting the focus from the danger of diseases like flu to the potential risks of vaccines; and a proposal that HHS end notice and comment procedures for rules related to “public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts,” a policy that seems to run counter to his promise for “radical transparency” at the agency
