Amid the biggest measles outbreak in a long time, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Division of Well being and Human Providers is spearheading a brand new effort to seek out remedies for the infectious illness for People who “select to not vaccinate.”
HHS introduced Friday that Kennedy, a distinguished spreader of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and propaganda, is directing the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention to give you extra measles remedies ― regardless that a long time of analysis have by no means turned up effective treatments for measles, reinforcing the significance of the extremely efficient vaccine.
“Secretary Kennedy will likely be enlisting the whole company to activate a scientific course of to deal with a bunch of illnesses, together with measles, with single or a number of present medicine together with nutritional vitamins and different modalities,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon mentioned in an announcement.
The directive comes as a result of Kennedy and division officers “acknowledge that some people and communities throughout the U.S. could select to not vaccinate,” Nixon continued.
“This effort will contain collaboration with universities nationwide to develop protocols, conduct testing, and pursue approval for brand spanking new makes use of of secure and efficient therapeutics that meet the best scientific requirements,” Nixon mentioned.
The directive comes as Kennedy ramps up his promotion of a variety of unproven remedies for measles, a illness that may trigger pneumonia, encephalitis, being pregnant issues, blindness and loss of life.
Kennedy has promoted cod liver with vitamin A as a possible miracle treatment for measles, however experts say that a lot of the research supporting vitamin A as a potential measles remedy had been carried out within the Eighties and Nineties in sub-Saharan Africa, the place a deficiency in that vitamin is way extra prevalent.
Analysis on vitamin A’s influence on measles in individuals with out deficiencies stays inconclusive, however with Kennedy’s prompting, some mother and father in West Texas ― the middle of the 900-person measles outbreak ― have given it to their youngsters in excessive doses. Doctors in the area say lots of these youngsters have been displaying signs of liver damage, a aspect impact of extreme vitamin A consumption.
And on Monday, Kennedy mentioned HHS was deploying medical doctors to Texas to deal with measles with “aerosolized steroids with budesonide with clarithromycin and others.” Neither budesonide nor clarithromycin is confirmed to deal with measles, and suggesting their use is harmful, the American Academy of Pediatrics mentioned in a blunt statement final month.
“Selling drugs to deal with measles, significantly when these drugs usually are not beneficial, means that measles is treatable, which it isn’t. Crucial approach to fight measles is thru prevention with the MMR vaccine,” AAP mentioned.
Although Kennedy has inspired individuals to get the MMR vaccine ― which is 97% efficient at stopping measles within the first place ― he constantly undermines his personal recommendation.
On Wednesday, he baselessly claimed that the measles vaccine “accommodates numerous aborted fetus debris and DNA particles.” And in a TV look Monday, he informed mother and father to “do your own research” on vaccines, echoing a typical chorus amongst anti-vaccine skeptics.
