Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advised newborn parents to “do their own research” before “doing their own research” during a television interview before vaccinating infants.
Kennedy spoke to talk show host Dr. Phil in an interview aired Monday in Merritt to commemorate the 100th day of the Trump administration. He said, as he had in the past, “If you want to avoid spreading measles, the best thing you can do is take that vaccine.”
However, Kennedy revealed that he believes that, as he had in the past, it is up to the individual to decide. By proposing that the vaccine is unsafe, he contradicts decades of advice from public health experts, including leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We live in a democracy, and part of the responsibility of being a parent is doing your own research,” the Health Secretary said in response to questions from women in the audience who asked how they would advise new parents on vaccine safety. “You need to study strollers, study the food they get, and also study the medications they are taking.”
The phrase “I did my research” has become a cultural and political touchstone during the coronavirus pandemic. Vaccination supporters have slandered people who were primarily political left who chose not to get vaccinated. It became an internet meme and appeared on a liberal neighborhood Halloween themed mock gravestone.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kennedy's comments came in the US's biggest measles outbreak in nearly 25 years. This includes the deaths of two young children and one adult.
Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at the Philadelphia Children's Hospital, said that while often in conflict with Kennedy, “it's completely reasonable to be skeptical of a vaccine,” parents who want to do their research should be aware of the source of information.
“What you mean your own research is that you should talk to people who have expertise in this field, or at least watch online. This doesn't mean you're looking at it just in chat rooms or social media blog posts,” Dr. Ophito said. He added that good information is available, but “There are also many very bad sources that will mislead you about your choices, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the perfect example of that.”
Another vaccine expert, Dr. Peter Hotes of Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, said Kennedy was dishonest. “He says you're doing your own research – when your parents are doing their research, they know enough that they're now downloading the onslaught of disinformation, which is trying to walk an alternative from the health and health, supplemental supplementary influencer industry.”
Kennedy also suggested that measles shots cause a variety of illnesses without evidence. “Would you like to stop the measles?” he asked. “Yeah, but does it do something else and causes seizures or neuroimmune or autoimmune disease? We don't know. No one can answer that question.”
In fact, studies have shown that with rare exceptions, fewer people who have been vaccinated than those suffering from infections that develop autoimmune diseases, and researchers concluded that the vaccine “not only can protect patients from infections, but also from complications that include autoimmune symptoms.”
Kennedy's other statements in the interview were also full of inaccuracies. “The new drugs are approved by external panels, not by the FDA or CDC,” he declared.
That's wrong. External panels of experts advise the FDA on controversial or well-known drug approval decisions, and some panel members have ties to the industry that is open to the public before the meeting begins. However, only the FDA has the authority to approve or reject new drugs, vaccines, and other treatments. The CDC does not play a role in drug approval.
“Kennedy needs to have an FDA decision on drug development explanations and marketing,” said Dr. Robert Caliph, the agency's commissioner under President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Kennedy also inaccurately argued that the vaccine was not evaluated for safety before or after it was approved. “Initially there is no safety research. There is no surveillance system after that,” he said, “The vaccine is the only drug or medical product exempt from pre-licensed safety testing.”
In fact, the Food and Drug Administration licenses the vaccine after a year-long process that begins with extensive testing in the lab and animals and then progresses to human testing. The FDA requires careful research into vaccine safety and efficacy. There are often thousands of people in large trials, said Dr. Peter Marks, the chief of the vaccine division of an agency that was recently forced to step down from his position.
“I don't know where this misunderstanding comes from,” said Dr. Marks, who is critical of Kennedy. “Vaccinations need extensive research for safety. By definition, they provide these products to healthy people. Therefore, safety is paramount.”
Once the vaccine is licensed, it is monitored via the alphabet soup in the database. The Vaccine Safety Data Link System relies on electronic health records from medical centers around the country. It is responsible for detecting abnormal side effects, including rare cases of myocarditis and myocardial inflammation, among young men who have taken the Covid-19 vaccine.
Another system developed in 1990 as the “National Early Warning System,” the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, relies on reports from patients and healthcare providers. Many vaccine critics, including Kennedy, have cited Vaers data to argue that the vaccine is dangerous, but the system was not designed to determine whether a vaccine would cause health problems. It is designed to pick up tips that can be further explored in other types of data systems.
The FDA has an additional safety monitoring program called Best or Biology Efficacy and Safety Initiative.
Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Infectious Diseases Committee, said it is wrong to assert federal officials not keeping an eye on vaccine safety. “I don't know where this is coming from,” he said.
He added: “We recognize a number of rare adverse events. If it becomes clear that the risk is even close to exceeding benefits, the vaccine will be pulled out of the market.”
