RFK Jr: Fact-checking his views on health policy

Kennedy mentioned in his NPR interview that vaccines had been “not going to be taken away from anyone”.

He says he desires to enhance the science on vaccine security which he believes has “large deficits” and that he desires good data so individuals “could make knowledgeable decisions“.

However his critique of the vaccine security regime has been roundly dismissed by consultants.

Whereas Kennedy has denied, exterior on a number of events that he’s anti-vaccination and mentioned he and his kids are vaccinated, he has repeatedly said extensively debunked claims about vaccine hurt.

Certainly one of his essential false claims – repeated in a 2023 interview with Fox Information, exterior, was that “autism comes from vaccines”.

This idea was popularised by discredited UK physician Andrew Wakefield.

However Wakefield’s 1998 research was later retracted by the Lancet medical journal. A number of research since, throughout many nations, have concluded there isn’t any hyperlink between vaccines and autism, exterior.

Dr David Elliman, a advisor in neighborhood youngster well being at Nice Ormond Avenue Hospital in London, mentioned RFK Jr has perpetuated myths round vaccination with “an utter disregard for the proof”.

“If he’s appointed and continues in the identical mode, I concern not only for the vaccination programme within the US, however comparable programmes around the globe, and for healthcare on the whole,” says Dr Elliman.

“Vaccination has in all probability saved extra lives and is healthier researched than most, if not all, features of healthcare. RFK Jr may set this again and be chargeable for the dying and incapacity of myriads of individuals, notably kids.”