{"id":2644,"date":"2025-01-28T23:26:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T23:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/r-f-k-jr-in-his-own-words-flu-diabetes-autism-and-more\/"},"modified":"2025-01-28T23:26:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T23:26:32","slug":"r-f-k-jr-in-his-own-words-flu-diabetes-autism-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/r-f-k-jr-in-his-own-words-flu-diabetes-autism-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"R.F.K. Jr., in His Own Words: Flu, Diabetes, Autism and More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s confirmation hearings, beginning on Wednesday, senators are expected to question him closely about his controversial views on vaccines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For years Mr. Kennedy has questioned the safety of vaccines, including those for polio and measles, two diseases that continue to harm children. More recently, he has said that he\u2019s not planning to take vaccines away from Americans but wants to release safety data to the public \u2014 even though nearly all of the data is already publicly available.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Kennedy\u2019s contrarian views extend well beyond vaccines. And as secretary of health and human services, he would have enormous influence on health policy, even on issues typically under state control, by cutting funding for certain programs or elevating others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Here\u2019s a fact check of some of his claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">This is false. <\/strong>Mr. Kennedy\u2019s number is off by orders of magnitude.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The National Diabetes Statistics Report <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/diabetes\/php\/data-research\/index.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">estimated<\/a> that in 2021, about 35 per 10,000 children and adolescents younger than 20 \u2014 that is, 0.35 percent \u2014 had a diagnosis of diabetes. Another <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34427600\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">study<\/a> found that 0.1 percent of young people 10 to 19 had diabetes in 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Kennedy also seems to be conflating juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease, with Type 2 diabetes, which can result from an unhealthy lifestyle. He is correct that new cases of diabetes \u2014 both types \u2014 are <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/landia\/article\/PIIS2213-8587(23)00025-6\/fulltext\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">on the rise<\/a>. But the prevalence in teenagers is still much lower than in adults and increases with age; the highest prevalence, 29.2 percent, is among adults 65 and older.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a later comment that included prediabetes, Mr. Kennedy said, \u201cThese kids are now dependent on, you know, insulin and diabetes treatments, on chronic disease treatments for the rest of their lives, and that\u2019s bankrupting our health care system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While prediabetes is a warning sign for diabetes, most cases don\u2019t require treatment with insulin and can be reversed with lifestyle changes, including <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niddk.nih.gov\/about-niddk\/research-areas\/diabetes\/diabetes-prevention-program-dpp\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">modest weight loss<\/a>. Prediabetes, too, is rising; about <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2819834\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">28 percent<\/a> of teenagers are prediabetic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">This is false. <\/strong>Every year, scientists track the effectiveness of the annual flu vaccine. And every year, dozens of studies document the vaccine\u2019s effectiveness against hospitalizations and deaths. The exact numbers vary, but the results always show that vaccination is beneficial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Injected flu vaccines <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccine-safety\/vaccines\/flu.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">do not contain<\/a> live virus, and nasal spray vaccines contain weakened virus; neither type can transmit the flu.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The flu vaccine\u2019s composition is typically determined in the spring, based on the dominant variants in the Southern Hemisphere at that time. In some years the vaccine that is produced is an excellent match for the viruses that emerge in the fall, and in other years the scientists\u2019 best guess is a little off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As a result, effectiveness may range from 30 to 90 percent, depending on the age group and the subtype of influenza. But even when effectiveness is low, the vaccine can shorten the duration and severity of illness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Because flu tends to be most severe in children under 5 and in older adults, the vaccine is <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/vaccines\/vaccinations.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">particularly recommended<\/a> \u2014 not mandated \u2014 for those age groups. And since the flu vaccine was introduced in 1945, life expectancy, including among older adults, has risen steadily.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">This needs context. <\/strong>Mr. Kennedy is partly right. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/autism\/data-research\/index.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">One in 36<\/a> American children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the one-in-34 estimate is specific to boys). And <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncbddd\/autism\/addm-community-report\/california.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">in California<\/a>, one in 22 children has autism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But autism is a spectrum, and a majority of those diagnosed can participate in sports, write poetry (if they are so inclined), pay taxes, date and marry; many are parents. The list of people with autism includes successful <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/37864547\/ex-nbaer-tony-snell-learns-autistic-son-diagnosed\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">athletes<\/a>, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Elder_Robison\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">writers<\/a>, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HXIU17E4rPc\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">actors<\/a>, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Greta_Thunberg\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">activists<\/a>, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mahliaamatina.com\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">artists<\/a>, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yuh-Line_Niou\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">politicians<\/a> \u2014 and even <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fCF8I_X1qKI\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Elon Musk<\/a>, the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/real-time-billionaires\/#5af8ab213d78\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">richest man<\/a> in the world and head of the Trump administration\u2019s government cost-cutting effort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Studies suggest that most of the increase in autism diagnoses is on the milder end of the spectrum, in part because the diagnostic criteria have widened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">What Mr. Kennedy describes is a subset of autistic people, about one in four with the diagnosis, who are <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00333549231163551\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">profoundly affected<\/a>. But even they are more likely to harm themselves than others. (The prevalence of profound autism is rising, but slowly.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Kennedy may not have seen such people when he was a child because back then, most of them were isolated at home or institutionalized, misdiagnosed with mental illnesses and heavily medicated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">This needs context. <\/strong>First, most states mandate that children receive about 20 shots to enter school, but those shots include doses of eight or so vaccines (depending on which combination vaccines are used) that together protect against a dozen diseases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Even including vaccines that are recommended and not required, such as a yearly flu shot, children may receive 35 shots by age 5. Mr. Kennedy\u2019s math would be correct only if the number included vaccines given in pregnancy, and if each component and each dose of a combination product were considered a separate vaccine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">All vaccines <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/vaccines-blood-biologics\/development-approval-process-cber\/vaccine-development-101\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">must meet<\/a> strict requirements for safety before approval. Even after their approval, federal officials monitor reports of side effects <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccines-children\/about\/developing-safe-effective-vaccines.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">in multiple systems<\/a> that analyze medical records and reports from patients and doctors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Kennedy\u2019s claim that none of the shots have been tested in placebo-controlled trials also needs context. Some of the vaccines currently in use have indeed been tested against a placebo; others are newer alternatives to vaccines that underwent placebo-controlled trials before approval.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A newer vaccine is often tested against an approved one \u2014 rather than against a placebo \u2014 to show that it is just as good at preventing disease. Newer treatments for certain diseases like cancer are similarly tested in such trials, which are called non-inferiority trials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That\u2019s because it would be unethical to deny some children in a trial protection against a dangerous pathogen, as it would be to deny treatment to patients with a disease, by giving them a placebo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">This is false. <\/strong>Numerous <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jama\/fullarticle\/361556\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">studies<\/a> have <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/ovidsp.dc2.ovid.com\/ovid-new-b\/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&amp;PAGE=fulltext&amp;D=ovft&amp;AN=00006454-200609000-00003&amp;NEWS=N&amp;CSC=Y&amp;CHANNEL=PubMed\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">examined<\/a> this <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/pediatrics\/article-abstract\/81\/3\/345\/54880\/Neurologic-Events-Following-Diphtheria-Tetanus?redirectedFrom=fulltext\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">claim<\/a> and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/8584396\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">found<\/a> it to be unsubstantiated. On the contrary, pertussis itself, rather than the vaccine, can be <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26529162\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">dangerous<\/a> or even fatal to young children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In both statements, Mr. Kennedy is referring to a vaccine for pertussis, or whooping cough, that was discontinued in the 1990s. The vaccine was made from inactivated bacteria and, compared with the newer vaccines, was associated with more side effects, including fever, drowsiness and irritability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But research has not found severe short- or long-term consequences. According to one large study, for every 100,000 doses of the vaccine, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/10.1056\/NEJMoa003077\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">fewer than nine<\/a> produced a febrile seizure on the day of vaccination.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccine-safety\/about\/febrile-seizures.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Febrile seizures<\/a> are seizures caused by high fevers and can occur during any childhood illness, including an ear infection; they do not cause lasting harm. Longer-term follow-ups by several teams have shown no evidence of brain damage in children who received the vaccine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Kennedy is correct that one team reported increased mortality after pertussis vaccination in West Africa. But a series of independent panels that was convened to examine the studies unanimously concluded that the team\u2019s data did not support this conclusion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIndeed, the papers provide substantial evidence against such a conclusion,\u201d the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/groups\/global-advisory-committee-on-vaccine-safety\/topics\/diphtheria-tetanus-and-pertussis-vaccines\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">experts wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/28\/health\/rfk-jr-vaccines-autism-video.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s confirmation hearings, beginning on Wednesday, senators are expected to question him closely about his controversial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[930,525,934,929,631,915,551,931,916,932,933,624,909],"class_list":["post-2644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-2","tag-autism","tag-children-and-childhood","tag-clinical-trials","tag-diabetes","tag-influenza","tag-kennedy","tag-medicine-and-health","tag-placebos","tag-robert-f-jr","tag-rumors-and-misinformation","tag-teenagers-and-adolescence","tag-vaccination-and-immunization","tag-whooping-cough"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>R.F.K. Jr., in His Own Words: Flu, Diabetes, Autism and More - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/r-f-k-jr-in-his-own-words-flu-diabetes-autism-and-more\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"R.F.K. Jr., in His Own Words: Flu, Diabetes, Autism and More - World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At Robert F. 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