"The non-profit group that Robert F Kennedy Jr built into a giant of the anti-vaccine movement is defending its old boss even as the US health secretary presides over the worst year for measles in more than 30 years. Three people have died and 1,958 people have been reported infected with measles in the US this year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"Children's Health Defense, or CHD, which Kennedy led from 2015 to 2024, produces a daily stream of articles and videos stoking fear about vaccines and falsely suggesting that the risks associated with vaccine-preventable diseases are exaggerated. At the height of the South Carolina outbreak this month, when more than 200 people were in quarantine, CHD published an article circulating anti-vaccine tropes and arguing that criticism of Kennedy over the spread of measles was unfounded."
"The article says CHD's chief scientific officer questioned whether measles needs to be prevented in the first place. It quoted the host of a CHD.TV show saying it was absurd to blame Kennedy for outbreaks. CHD did not respond to a Guardian request for comment. As measles spread through the US this year, Kennedy has made statements that undermined confidence in the measles vaccine and the public health response, experts said."
Measles has caused three deaths and 1,958 reported infections in the US this year, with a South Carolina outbreak prompting 224 people to be quarantined and 144 sickened. Most cases involve unvaccinated children. Children's Health Defense (CHD) produces frequent articles and videos that stoke fear about vaccines and downplay the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases. CHD defended Robert F Kennedy Jr and circulated anti-vaccine tropes while questioning whether measles needs preventing. Kennedy made public statements raising concerns about MMR safety and asserting the vaccine wanes and is leaky. The CDC states two MMR doses are 97% effective and side-effects are usually mild.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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