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 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.
In light of the Trump administration's dishonesty and threats to privacy, plans for an autism registry are most disturbing. Because Trump and RFK Jr. have a long history of lying about autism, we have to assume bad faith.
The CDC’s newly installed panel of voting members for its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will vote on “Thimerosal containing influenza vaccine recommendations.” The eight-member panel (hand-picked by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he sacked the seventeen incumbent experts with minimal explanation) includes individuals who have been paid experts in lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers and spread lies about vaccine safety.
The agenda item was posted on the CDC’s website this morning.
The anti-vaccine movement has long tried to blame autism on vaccines containing thimerosal. The link has been debunked many times.
The vote will follow a presentation on thimerosal in vaccines and proposed recommendations regarding thimerosal-containing influenza. Who will be presenting is “TBD.”
Thimerosal has long been an obsession of the anti-vaccine movement. While the CDC’s website (as of today, at least) says, “a robust body of peer-reviewed scientific studies conducted in the U.S. and other countries support the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines,” most vaccines do not contain them.
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Former ACIP member Dr. Paul Offit reacted strongly when I informed him of the news, saying: “RFK Jr has now stocked ACIP with like-minded individuals. He’s now created something where we are going to simply have to decide, as a nation, how much pain are we willing to take before someone asks this guy to step down? His goal is simple: Make vaccines less available, less affordable, and more feared. When do we step forward? Who will step forward? I do not believe Senator William Cassidy will do this. It’s going to come down to the public—to parents.”
