Vaccination skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he will oversee a presidential panel to review vaccine safety and science at the request of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in a move likely to reignite debate despite now-debunked research that tied childhood immunizations to autism.
“President-elect Trump has some doubts about the current vaccine policy, and he has questions about it,” Kennedy, who has raised questions about the safety of vaccines, told reporters following his meeting with Trump in New York on Tuesday. “He asked me to chair a commission on vaccine safety and scientific integrity. I said I would.”
“Everybody ought to be able to be assured that the vaccines that we have — he’s very pro-vaccine, as am I — but they’re as safe as they possibly can be,” added Kennedy, a son of the late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Vaccine experts decried the appointment of a vocal vaccine skeptic to explore the safety of vaccines and their purported link with autism, an association raised by a paper published in The Lancet in 1998 that claimed to find a connection between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism.
That paper has been debunked, and The Lancet withdrew the study. Since then, numerous studies have affirmed the safety of the vaccine, most recently including a study of 100,000 children considered at high risk of developing autism.
“The concerns of public health officials and pediatricians and family doctors regarding the Trump administration and its attitude toward vaccines have just been reinforced,” said Dr. William Schaffner an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, who advises the federal panel that sets U.S. vaccine policy.
Schaffner said Kennedy has “raised issues that have been settled securely and completely by good science, and 80,0000 pediatricians, many family doctors and the World Health Organization all reinforce the current recommended childhood immunization schedule. They are safe and they are effective.”
Nevertheless, concerns have persisted over a possible link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder, a range of symptoms that often includes difficulties with communication and social interaction.
“Everybody ought to be able to be assured that the vaccines that we have — he’s very pro-vaccine, as am I — but they’re as safe as they possibly can be,” added Kennedy, a son of the late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Daniel Johnson, an expert in pediatric infectious disease at University of Chicago Medicine, said he thought yet another investigation into vaccine safety was a waste of public money.
“There’s already many systems in place to provide oversight, to record data, which is constantly being reviewed by many in government and the scientific community. There is no need for still yet another system for doing this,” Johnson said.
He said he is “very concerned” that parents may delay getting their children vaccinated as they await the outcome of this panel, which could result in “increased harm, illness and potentially death” of children from diseases that could be
prevented by vaccines.
Really? Debunked huh? Then why won’t most doctors immunize their kids? Why does Bill Gates state “If we do immunizations well, we can reduce the population by 20% ? People like you would do US a favor by regularly getting your shots!!!
Nice to see the Trumpraeli is continuing his flushing of the DC toilet right, i guess this Kennedy floated to the top….:)
While Trump appears to be flushing one DC toilet, the toilet in the next stall is backing up with Jewish bankers and Jewish New Jersey real estate heirs.
“Everybody ought to be able to be assured that the vaccines that we have — he’s very pro-vaccine, as am I — but they’re as safe as they possibly can be,” added Kennedy,…”
Your father is rolling over in his grave, you POS commie jewb#tch SELLOUT!
“Nevertheless, concerns have persisted over a possible link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder, a range of symptoms that often includes difficulties with communication and social interaction.”
POSSIBLE LINK???
Oh, and you left out DEATH as another ‘side effect’.
And another thing…
“Trump taps vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to launch review”
Skeptic?
“Everybody ought to be able to be assured that the vaccines that we have — he’s very pro-vaccine, as am I — but they’re as safe as they possibly can be,” added Kennedy,…”
Is it just me, or is that statement virtually DEVOID of any skepticism???
It is not just you.
Hey Angel! 😀
Miss you, girl, you’re not around much these days. 🙁
Saw some comments from you on yesterday’s articles, but I usually post on the newer ones before I get to those.