Meanwhile, Children’s Health Defense (CHD) and other anti-vaccine activists used the tragedy to question the safety of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. For months, CHD highlighted the deaths in Facebook posts while promoting vaccine-safety concerns. However, the organization did not update those posts after officials identified a nurse’s fatal mistake as the cause of the vaccine contamination.
Against this backdrop, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Samoa in May and June 2019 with members of CHD and his wife, actor Cheryl Hines. During the visit, Kennedy was photographed with local anti-vaccine activists and staff from the US Embassy.
Samoa’s deadly measles outbreak began in October 2019. By November, World Health Organization officials had linked the crisis to anti-vaccination activism and fearmongering on social media, although they did not specifically name CHD. One official said the organization’s influence was “now being reflected in the lives of children who have died over the course of this epidemic.”
That same month, Kennedy sent Samoa’s prime minister a four-page letter that falsely blamed the measles vaccine for the outbreak. The letter also incorrectly claimed that the MMR vaccine could contribute to “the evolution of more virulent measles strains.”
The release of the letter has prompted additional members of Congress to criticize Kennedy’s anti-vaccine positions and public-health policies. The document comes as vaccination rates in the United States continue to decline and the country faces a measles outbreak that has killed two people this year, including a newborn. Critics say Kennedy has responded by spreading misinformation and downplaying the risks posed by measles.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) said Kennedy “should resign or be fired immediately.” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a physician, also called on Kennedy to resign while responding to concerns about the measles outbreak in Samoa.
Source: arstechnica.com