Kwei--Wed
Why vaccine misinformation could bring back diseases we thought were gone for good
A Public Health Emergency—Fueled by Lies
This is a follow-up to my previous post about measles. Across the U.S., measles cases are rising sharply—over 660 in Texas alone as of late April 2025, with two preventable child deaths. Cases are appearing nationwide, with nearly 900 confirmed, triple the count from last year. Source: Reuters, The Guardian
This isn't just a medical crisis. It's a credibility crisis because trusted science is being eroded by one of the loudest voices in the room.
RFK Jr.’s Cod Liver Cure: A Dangerous Distraction
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now heading HHS, has pushed unproven “cures” for measles—including cod liver oil, vitamin A, budesonide, and antibiotics. He claims they are effective remedies, despite there being zero credible evidence to support them. Source: Health.com
The only proven shield against measles? Vaccination. No shortcuts. No “natural” hacks. Just science.
Autism Misinformation: Misguided and Harmful
RFK Jr. has also claimed autism is caused by vaccines and environmental toxins, ignoring decades of rigorous science. More troublingly, he has painted autism as a life-destroying diagnosis—offensive, outdated, and utterly wrong. Source: PBS, Axios
His stigmatizing views echo 1950s thinking, not the public health values of 2025.
Polio, Smallpox, and the Ghosts of the Past
Think measles is the worst-case scenario? While smallpox was eradicated globally in 1980, pockets of vaccine refusal could make us vulnerable again.
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| Martha Lillard, age 5, was in an iron lung during the 1953 polio epidemic. |
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| Martha Lillard, age 5, was in an "iron lung" during the 1953 polio epidemic. |
What Was the Iron Lung?
The “iron lung” was a negative-pressure ventilator used to help patients breathe when polio paralyzed their chest muscles. Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can destroy motor neurons in the spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness, paralysis, or even death.
While modern ventilators have replaced the iron lung, this haunting image is a stark reminder of the devastating toll of vaccine-preventable diseases. Martha survived, but many did not. Without vigilance, polio can return.
A world without vaccines isn’t hypothetical. It’s our past. And if we’re not vigilant, it’s our future.
Public Health Under Siege
Kennedy’s broader plan? Slash funding to the NIH and CDC, two of the most crucial institutions keeping epidemics at bay. Weakening these agencies won’t just affect the U.S.—it sends shockwaves across the global public health network.
Outbreaks don't need passports. Ebola in West Africa. Measles in Europe. A virus born thousands of miles away can be in your neighborhood by the weekend.
This Isn’t Just Policy—It’s Personal
Parents burying their children. Doctors are losing the tools to protect patients. Autistic individuals are being mischaracterized and devalued. These aren’t policy debates. They’re personal stories of loss, betrayal, and resilience.
We have a choice. We can follow conspiracy theories down a dark tunnel of ignorance, or we can fight for truth, science, and each other.
Vaccines aren’t just about disease prevention.
They’re about protecting the people we love.
📎 Related Posts:
- https://www.kweiquartey.com/post/vaccines-how-a-millennia-old-lifesaver-was-and-still-is-controversial
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I can get really angry about this but when a patient starts on the anti vax theme, as a clinician you can only advise and they rarely want to listen. I do however tell the story of the lady who had to wear the huge caliper under her wedding dress because of polio. And now, of course there's post polio syndrome so even if you think you got off lightly......
ReplyDeleteJust keep telling it like it is, Leye, and sooner or late the world will regain its senses. Or so we can hope, pray, and pressure.
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