Jeff Hurvitz: Kennedy should follow the science on vaccines
Many members of the Baby Boomer generation remember a medical process in schools that fortunately was rarely challenged. It involved the digesting of a sugar cube in order to immunize against polio. That Sabin vaccine was comprised of a live virus which enabled children to head off what had been the crippling malady. The breakthrough was the result of research conducted by Jonas Salk. It was part of a good health mentality that was simply regarded as conventional wisdom.
So it was with much concern that the CDC came out in favor of an unsubstantiated claim that vaccines overall cause autism. Overseeing the entire healthcare field is Robert F. Kennedy, as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. When assuming the position earlier this year, he promised Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician with his own concern about Kennedy’s position and a crucial voter in the confirmation of Kennedy, that he would not bring his anti-vaccine position into the fore.
The original CDC posting under Kennedy said: “There is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism.” That statement has now been changed to: “Though the cause of autism is likely to be multi-factorial, the scientific foundation to rule out one potential contributor entirely has not been established.”
That Kennedy has avoided countless studies that debunk his theory points to a belief that many citizens have; namely that loyalty to President Trump has displaced expertise as a determining factor in the selection of the head of a federal department.
Dr. Mehmet Oz was a heart surgeon who became a TV personality, but with questionable credentials to a head a federal agency, was selected as Administrator of CMMS. That department oversees the areas of Medicare and Medicaid. Also, Pete Hegseth, who did earn two bronze stars while in combat but with a scarcity of managerial experience, now is Secretary of Defense (which has been retitled Secretary of War). His previous emergence as a TV personality combined with loyalty to the commander in chief also boosted him to his lofty position in which he oversees 1.3 million active service members. It’s alarming to realize that fealty to the president has become the overwhelming qualification for crucial federal positions.
Kennedy and his supporters have asserted that the presence of aluminum contained in vaccines has been the culprit. But the version of aluminum found in vaccines is not to be confused with that of kitchen tin foil. It is found in plants and foods, as well as in baby formulas and breast milk and is considered to be a healthful component.
The derision of safe vaccines represents nothing more than a formula for public doubt and a potential for increases in health issues. Where a single sugar cube once represented a path to good health, the doubt sowed by an unqualified health department head is a hard pill to swallow.
Jeff Hurvitz (jrhurvitz@aol.com) is a freelance writer and native Philadelphian.
