Analysis
News sites and social media users worldwide responded with a mix of excitement and frustration to the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the top health official in the U.S. due to Kennedy’s long history of promoting anti-vaccine myths and affiliation with a prominent anti-vaccine organization. Some popular posts expressed concern that Kennedy’s leadership would lead to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like polio. A U.S. congressperson posted about Kennedy’s alleged role in a measles outbreak in Samoa, which she incorrectly called a polio outbreak. Several posts supported Kennedy’s false claims about vaccine development, while others accused physicians and infectious disease experts opposed to the confirmation of “fearmongering” and insinuated that vaccines are more of a threat than the diseases they prevent.
Recommendations
False claims about the safety of routine vaccines may cause some people to worry about vaccinating their children. Messaging may explain that all vaccines are tested for safety and closely monitored by health authorities for as long as they are in use. Routine vaccines are given primarily to young and healthy people. Because of this, they are held to extremely high safety standards.