MISLEADING CLAIMS
The Guardian
Alastair McAlpine, a pediatric physician at British Columbia’s children’s hospital, wrote: “It is hard to overstate what a terrible decision this is. RFK Jr has no medical training. He is a hardcore anti-vaccine and misinformation peddler. The last time he meddled in a state’s medical affairs (Samoa), 83 children died of measles.”
Notes
This article (like many others) attributes the measles outbreak to low vaccination coverage. The Samoan government suspended its measles vaccination program for nine months before the outbreak. However, it was not RFK Jr’s decision to suspend the MMR vaccination program, which caused low vaccine coverage in 2018 and 2019. For more on this, see our Investigations page.
Also, see Paul Offit’s similar accusations, which are covered on this page (also see Other Stories below).
The temporary suspension prompted Kennedy and his anti-vaccine nonprofit Children’s Health Defense to reportedly spread various falsehoods about vaccinations across the island, in turn resulting in a drastic decline in vaccination rates.
A year later, a measles outbreak on the island caused by a sick traveler ended up infecting more than 57,000 people and killing 83, including children.
Notes
No falsehood is reported by the citation (Mother Jones) to support the author’s claim. The cited article's only assertion is that Children’s Health Defense (CHD) “had helped spread misinformation” without providing a single example to support it. The Mother Jones article is addressed here (also see Other Stories below).
While not stated, the “drastic decline” in vaccination rates referred to is that vaccination coverage declined from 58% in 2017 to 31% in 2018 because the Samoan government shut down its measles vaccination program from July 2018 to April 2019. This decline cannot be attributed to CHD since the temporary suspension continued through 2018. As discussed on our Investigations page, the decrease in vaccine coverage is likely more drastic than 31%.
There were approximately 5,700 reported cases of measles, not 57,000. Paul Offit makes the same error. Offit’s claims are addressed here (also see Other Stories below).
Related News Publications
RFK Jr. appears before Congress as his comments spreading misinformation draw scrutiny
Samoa measles outbreak: WHO blames anti-vaccine scare as death toll hits 39
Measles outbreak spurred by anti-vaxxers shuts down Samoan government
