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.
The U.S. measles outbreak has reached 800 confirmed cases across 24 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. The latest update shows 88 new cases from the previous week, marking what health officials describe as a concerning trend in 2025.
The current outbreak has claimed two lives, with a third death under investigation, according to state health officials. The surge in cases is nearly triple the total number reported in 2024, when the nation recorded 285 cases.
If this year's cases continue to grow at the current rate, the U.S. could surpass the 2019 total of 1,274 cases, potentially reaching the highest level since 1992, per data.
