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.
Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist with a well-documented history of promoting misinformation, promised ahead of his confirmation as HHS secretary that he would not take away vaccines. Since taking office, however, he has repeatedly downplayed the severity of measles currently sweeping the country — outbreaks that have hospitalized scores of children and left at least two dead. He has publicly pushed unproven treatments, including vitamin A regimens that have reportedly sickened children, and offered limp public support for vaccines themselves — despite vaccines offering the safest, most effective way to prevent many infectious diseases. Under his leadership, HHS has overseen mass firings across federal health agencies, including staff responsible for outbreak response and vaccine access; canceled or postponed meetings of independent vaccine advisory committees; and ended vaccine education campaigns.Leana Wen at WP:
This week, ProPublica reported that staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been ordered to withhold their expert assessment that the risk of contracting measles is high in areas with low community vaccination rates. CDC workers were specifically instructed not to add language on the importance of vaccination. Instead, the CDC now says “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” mirroring language Kennedy used in a Fox News column.
This is a departure from the unambiguous recommendation the CDC has long endorsed. The MMR vaccine has been used for more than 50 years and is why the United States successfully eliminated measles in 2000. Since then, activists have chipped away at vaccine confidence by claiming that vaccines are linked to autism despite more than a dozen studies disproving any association.
NYT:
Measles continues to spread in Texas and New Mexico, and has spilled into the neighboring states of Oklahoma and Kansas. The outbreak is likely to persist for a year, according to Texas health officials.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have reported isolated measles cases, typically linked to international travel. Ohio has confirmed a small outbreak following an initial case that was linked to an international traveler.
At least 560 measles cases have been reported nationwide this year, with 516 cases linked to outbreaks and 44 isolated cases.
