Kennedy has said he doesn’t think AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Instead, he says, AIDS comes from wearing down the immune system with drug use, which is not true.
About half of the nation’s global health budget is spent on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, according to KFF.
Critics say that having Kennedy at the helm of the HHS would almost certainly erode vaccine coverage further, allowing infectious diseases that had been tamped down to make a comeback.
Measles is a case in point. Measles is highly contagious and can be fatal, but vaccines are highly effective at preventing infection. Despite this success, the Covid-19 pandemic and misinformation have caused vaccination rates to drop, threatening progress toward eliminating the disease. Worldwide, measles cases rose 20% from 2022 to 2023, according to the latest report from the World Health Organization.
Kennedy is no fan of Covid-19 vaccines, either. In 2023, he tweeted that the Covid shots are “a crime against humanity.”
Studies have estimated that in their first year of use, the Covid-19 vaccines – an achievement under the first Trump administration – saved more than 14 million lives worldwide.
Seventy-seven Nobel prize winners on Monday sent an open letter to the US Senate opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), citing his “lack of credentials” and anti-vaccine beliefs.
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