WASHINGTON — In simply two months because the federal well being secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made sweeping adjustments to the Division of Well being and Human Providers — and its priorities.
He’s dismissed 10,000 public well being staff, met with state governors who need to limit unhealthy meals in taxpayer-funded packages and delivered an inconsistent message on vaccines as measles outbreaks throughout the nation have sickened tons of. Final week, he promised to search out a number of the causes of rising U.S. autism charges in underneath six months’ time.
Kennedy’s followers — a contingent of health-conscious mothers, Republicans loyal to President Donald Trump and others — have celebrated his “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives. However scientists and public well being specialists have expressed dismay over a few of Kennedy’s statements about Individuals’ diets, vaccines, measles and autism. Right here’s a take a look at a few of these claims Kennedy has made, with further context and details.
Autism
KENNEDY, at a information convention Wednesday: Research present that autism charges within the U.S. have been “1 in 10,000 when I was a kid” in comparison with a current U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention research that discovered it to be 1 in 31. He says that’s proof of an autism epidemic within the U.S. and that, “we know it’s an environmental exposure. It has to be.”
THE FACTS: It’s true that within the twentieth century, just one in 10,000 youngsters have been identified with autism —- the prognosis was uncommon and given solely to youngsters with extreme issues speaking or socializing and people with uncommon, repetitive behaviors. However the time period turned shorthand for a bunch of milder, associated situations often known as ″autism spectrum issues,” and the variety of youngsters labeled as having some type of autism started to balloon.
The time period “epidemic” is extensively used to explain surges in numerous well being issues — like autism, weight problems and gun violence, to call a couple of. However strictly talking, “epidemic” is outlined as a fast-spreading outbreak of illness, and there’s not good proof that autism meets that definition.
Well being officers have largely attributed rising autism numbers to higher recognition of circumstances, by means of broad screening and higher prognosis. Final week, the CDC mentioned prognosis fee is as much as 1 in 31 youngsters.
There aren’t any blood or biologic exams for autism; it’s identified by making judgments a couple of baby’s habits. Analysis has checked out quite a lot of different doable explanations, together with genetics, the age of the daddy, the burden of the mom and chemical substances within the surroundings.
Previous to his rise to well being secretary, Kennedy joined anti-vaccine advocates in claiming childhood vaccines are answerable for autism, however research by the CDC and others have dominated that out. A fraudulent single research that claimed a hyperlink between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was later retracted by the journal that printed it.
Kennedy just lately introduced a significant research into the reason for autism and advised an April 10 Cupboard assembly: “By September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.” However final week, he softened that to having ”a number of the solutions by September.”
— Mike Stobbe and Devi Shastri
Vaccines
KENNEDY, in interview with Sean Hannity that aired on Fox Information on March 11: “There are adverse events from the vaccine. It does cause deaths every year. It causes — it causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, et cetera. And so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves.”
THE FACTS: The measles vaccine is protected and its dangers are decrease than the dangers of problems from measles. There have been no documented deaths from the MMR vaccine in wholesome, non-immunocompromised folks, in accordance with the Infectious Ailments Society of America.
Most individuals who get the MMR vaccine don’t have any critical issues from it, the CDC says. The commonest negative effects are delicate: a sore arm, fever, delicate rash and non permanent joint ache or stiffness in teenage or grownup girls who don’t have already got rubella immunity. There’s a very small threat of febrile seizures that will increase as infants become old, which is why the shot is beneficial as early as doable.
Some folks can have allergic reactions; folks allergic to the antibiotic neomycin mustn’t get the shot, in accordance with the CDC.
— Devi Shastri
KENNEDY, in an April interview with CBS: “We’re always going to have measles, no matter what happens, as the (MMR) vaccine wanes very quickly.”
THE FACTS: The measles vaccine is extremely protecting and lasts a lifetime for most individuals. Two doses of the vaccine are 97% efficient towards the virus, in accordance with the CDC and medical specialists worldwide. Earlier than the vaccine was launched in 1963, the U.S. noticed some 3 million to 4 million circumstances per yr. Now, it’s normally fewer than 200 in a traditional yr.
Often, most measles circumstances come to the U.S. from overseas. This is the reason excessive vaccination charges are necessary. When 95% or extra persons are vaccinated, complete communities are thought-about shielded from the virus, which is necessary for people who find themselves too younger or who can not get the vaccine on account of well being points.
— Devi Shastri
Measles
KENNEDY, in a CBS interview posted April 9, discussing loss of life of 8-year-old baby in Texas who had measles: “The thing that killed (her) was not the measles, but it was a bacteriological infection.”
THE FACTS: Two youngsters in Texas have died — each from measles problems, in accordance with the Texas State Division of Well being and Human Providers. The state well being division has made clear that the kids weren’t vaccinated and had no underlying situations. Medical doctors at College Medical Heart in Lubbock who handled the 8-year-old mentioned she died of “measles pulmonary failure.”
Claiming that sufferers die of problems and never the precise illness that led to them is a tactic that anti-vaccine advocates have used to undermine Texas well being specialists for the reason that first baby died of measles in March — and in different outbreaks earlier than that. It’s additionally a speaking level that Kennedy, who spent 20 years as one of many world’s main anti-vaccine activists, continues to amplify.
Measles problems can embrace pneumonia, mind swelling and different respiratory or neurological problems, which might result in loss of life in 1 to three of each 1,000 youngsters who’re contaminated, in accordance with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
—-Devi Shastri
KENNEDY, in April 6 in an X put up, mentioned two Texas docs “have treated and healed some 300 measles-stricken Mennonite children using aerosolized budesonide and clarithromycin.”
THE FACTS: Pediatricians be aware there isn’t any treatment for measles: It’s a virus that the physique has to combat off by itself. One of the simplest ways to guard towards the dangers of measles is to get vaccinated to decrease the prospect of contracting it.
Budesonide is a steroid utilized in totally different varieties to deal with bronchial asthma, ulcerative colitis and different situations. Clarithromycin is an antibiotic; it fights micro organism, not viruses. Neither drug is beneficial for treating measles — the use is “risky and unproven” — the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
“There are no miracle cures for measles,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, who chairs the academy’s Committee on Infectious Ailments, just lately mentioned in a reality examine on the group’s web site. “If your child becomes sick with measles, doctors will do everything we can to care for them, but the truth is we do not have effective treatments against this viral infection.”
—-Devi Shastri
Diet and weight problems
KENNEDY, at an April 15 occasion in Indianapolis, mentioned 70% of Individuals are overweight or obese, in comparison with 3% of Individuals throughout President John F. Kennedy’s tenure within the early Sixties.
THE FACTS: Practically three-quarters of Individuals are obese, together with about 40% with weight problems, in accordance with current figures from the CDC. Between 1960 and 1962, about 13% of individuals within the U.S. had weight problems, in accordance with historic CDC information.
The rise in weight problems within the U.S. and different developed international locations in current a long time has been well-documented and studied. Consultants say there isn’t any single rationalization for the rise, however that it stems from a mixture of things, together with organic and environmental contributors, a rise in accessible energy and a decline in bodily exercise. Adjustments within the meals provide, together with the event of high-calorie, low cost ultraprocessed meals have been linked to weight problems, however precisely how these meals have an effect on weight achieve stays unclear.
KENNEDY at April 10 cupboard assembly concerning meals dyes: “We’ve shown now that this directly affects academic performance, violence in the schools, and mental health, as well as physical health.”
THE FACTS: Current analysis exhibits artificial meals colours frequent in U.S. meals are linked to neurobehavioral issues in youngsters and that the dyes might trigger or exacerbate signs, notably hyperactivity. As well as, youngsters might differ extensively of their sensitivity to the dyes.
“It is clear that some children are likely to be more adversely affected by food dyes than others,” researchers in California’s Workplace of Environmental Well being Hazard Evaluation reported in 2021.
These responses have the potential to have an effect on college work and behaviors similar to aggression, however thus far there isn’t any clear proof of a direct relationship between meals dyes and educational efficiency, violence or different psychological and bodily situations, scientists say.
Thus far, scientific proof exhibits that “most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives,” in accordance with the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration, which regulates the dyes.
KENNEDY on March 28 throughout a speech in West Virginia to encourage restrictions to the Supplemental Diet Help Program: “Twenty years ago, there was no diabetes in China. Today 50% of the population is diabetic.”
THE FACTS: Diabetes prevalence has gone up in China over the previous 20 years, pushed by rising dwelling requirements, urbanization and an getting older inhabitants. About 6.1% of the inhabitants had diabetes in 2001-2002, in accordance with a 2005 evaluation.
However that has solely grown to to 12.4%, in accordance with newest information included in a Lancet report in 2024.
— JoNel Aleccia
AP reporter Amanda Seitz in Washington contributed to this report.
The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives assist from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Academic Media Group and the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The AP is solely answerable for all content material.
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