The announcement that President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next leader of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has brought back into the spotlight many of the candidate’s comments about public health.
Kennedy was announced as Trump’s successor on November 14. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he will lead a department that regulates important public health programs and oversees numerous agencies that conduct scientific research. This list includes the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That means Kennedy can weigh in on issues that affect just about everyone, including drug and vaccine approvals and food safety.
Although many of Kennedy’s views on health issues run counter to decades of research and broad scientific and medical consensus, he won public support. Here’s a look at the established science behind some of the key issues that Kennedy has raised in the past and could be impacted by the new administration.
Fact: Vaccines save lives
Kennedy is a dominant force in the anti-vaccination movement.SN: 5/11/21). He told podcaster Lex Fridman in a July 2023 interview:There is no safe and effective vaccine.”
That’s not true. In terms of effectiveness, the World Health Organization (WHO) says:Vaccines have saved more human lives There is ample evidence to support its acclaim: “Better than any other medical invention in history.”
In the United States, numerous infectious diseases caused hundreds of thousands of cases of illness in the 20th century, including polio, diphtheria, measles, and smallpox. By the end of that century, Cases have decreased by 95-100%.This is mainly due to the widespread introduction of vaccines.
During the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 vaccination 14.4 million deaths prevented. From December 2020 to December 2021, the first year of the product’s launch globally, researchers lancet epidemic In 2022.
And research continues into the beneficial effects of vaccines. Since 1974, Vaccination against 14 pathogens prevented 154 million deaths. Globally, most of them are children: Vaccinations have prevented 146 million deaths among children under 5, researchers reported. lance In May.
In America Routine childhood immunizations for children People born between 1994 and 2023 will prevent an estimated 508 million illnesses, abort 32 million hospitalizations, and prevent 1.1 million child deaths, researchers at the CDC reported. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report In August.
The spread of misinformation and disinformation about vaccine safety has a long history, but is now reaching a wider audience through social media.SN: 11/11/21). Kennedy’s Instagram account was deleted for posting untrue claims about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines from 2021 to 2023. Common misinformation about vaccine safety refuted With a huge amount of evidence. For example, vaccines do not reduce the body’s ability to respond immuneally.
Vaccines are tested for safety and effectiveness in people before they are approved by the FDA. Multiple countries after approval Surveillance systems continue to monitor vaccine safety..
“Vaccines are the safest and most cost-effective way to protect children, families, and communities from disease, disability, and death,” Benjamin Hoffman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a Nov. 15 statement. said.
Fact: The measles vaccine does not cause autism.
Kennedy and other anti-vaccine advocates continue to argue that vaccines cause autism. Paper published in 1998 lance It has been known to find a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and autism. The paper, which was based on falsified data, was later retracted, but the damage was done, and the idea that vaccines could cause autism was generally floated (SN: 5/11/21).
Science has settled down. no evidence This means that the vaccine or a component of the vaccine causes autism spectrum disorder.
The causes of autism are unknown but likely complex (SN: 18/10/16; SN: July 29, 2011). Current thinking focuses on differences in brain development early in life, perhaps even in utero. Scientists are exploring genetic differences and differences in how neurons grow as possible links, and are investigating ways to detect the disorder earlier in life.SN: February 27, 2014; SN: 1/11/19; SN: 4/10/17).
Fact: Fluoride in water strengthens teeth.
Earlier this month, Kennedy announced a goal to remove fluoride from drinking water.
Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, has special superpowers. Fluoride can rebuild teeth. When the acids from bacteria erode tooth enamel, fluoride can break through the cracks and attract other hard minerals, such as calcium and phosphate, to stick to them. This process, called recalcification, prevents cavities.
This is why fluoride has been added to America’s water supplies since the 1940s. In 1999, the CDC described these actions as one of the following: Top 10 Public Health Achievements of the 20th century.
Kennedy and other fluoride skeptics argue that the mineral damages children’s developing brains. And at high doses it can. There have been reports of fluoride toxicity. all over the world. But as the saying goes, the dose makes the poison. In the United States, the optimal fluoride dosage is set at 0.7 mg per liter of water, which is well below the level that can be harmful.
Some communities that have removed fluoride from municipal water supplies have seen an increase in cavities. In Canada, children in Calgary, where fluoridation was discontinued in 2011, more corrupt Than my neighbors in Edmonton who had fluoride left in their water. A similar trend was seen with more dental cavities. IsraelWater fluoridation was stopped in 2014. JunoAlaska, where fluoridation was discontinued in 2007.
Tooth decay can cause pain, speech and eating problems, and social and psychological harm. Untreated cavities in children and adults can lead to death. Fluoridated water is supported by: medical group These include the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Dental Association.
Fact: Microorganisms in Raw Milk Can Make People Sick
In an October 25 post on X, Kennedy accused the FDA of “aggressively suppressing” a laundry list of substances, one of which was raw milk.
Raw milk has not been pasteurized, a process of heat treating food to kill harmful microorganisms (SN: 11/18/22). Proponents list a variety of reasons for drinking raw milk, including claims such as: Some Bacteria in Raw Milk May Benefit Gut Health. However, those bacteria come from cows and farm environments, and only microorganisms from humans can be an asset to our health.
Pasteurization to kill bad substances is the key. food safetyAccording to the FDA and CDC. People who drink raw milk may be exposed to foodborne bacteria, such as: E. coli, salmonella and listeriaThese can all cause serious illness.
Moreover, during an outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows in the United States, genetic traces of avian influenza were found in milk.SN: 25 Apr 24). Pasteurization kills the virus, but it remains in the raw milk and can pose a risk of infection. rat that Consume milk contaminated with viruses For example, they can become infected with bird flu, which suggests that humans may also be at risk.
Fact: Hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin do not treat COVID-19.
Hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, two drugs that have gained notoriety during the COVID-19 pandemic, were also listed in Kennedy’s October 25 X post. Early studies of cells in a dish raised hope that the treatment could help coronavirus patients, but numerous studies have since shown that the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine and the antiparasitic drug ivermectin are not effective against the coronavirus. It happened.SN: August 2, 2020).
Despite overwhelming evidence supporting the drug’s use against COVID-19, some, including Kennedy, continue to falsely claim it could have saved lives during the pandemic. In July 2023 Interview with Fox NewsKennedy said if hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin had been able to treat COVID-19, there would have been fewer deaths. The FDA authorized hydroxychloroquine for emergency use early in the pandemic. But the FDA withdrew its approval because studies showed it was no better than a placebo at preventing or attenuating the disease.SN: June 15, 2020).
