From CNBC: 2024-11-05 14:09:02

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has promised Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist, a significant role in health care if he wins the presidency. Kennedy’s potential involvement is causing concern among health experts due to his views on vaccines and pharmaceutical regulation.

Kennedy, who lacks medical credentials, believes federal health agencies and drug companies are making Americans less healthy. He has suggested removing some vaccines from the market and could bring uncertainty to the pharmaceutical industry if given a platform to promote unproven treatments.

Elevating Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric could lead to lower vaccination rates, potentially causing preventable diseases to resurge. This could have negative implications for public health, exacerbating existing challenges such as declining childhood vaccination rates and high rates of chronic diseases in the U.S.

Kennedy’s influence on vaccine approval processes and federal health agencies may be limited, as these processes are well-defined and run by civil servants. However, he could attempt to disrupt advisory panels’ recommendations on vaccination and treatments by appointing sympathetic individuals, potentially impacting public health policies and decisions.

Kennedy’s proposed focus on chronic diseases and eliminating root causes aligns with his platform to “Make America Healthy Again.” However, experts caution against oversimplifying complex health issues and promoting unfounded claims. Kennedy’s nonprofit has promoted misleading information linking vaccines to chronic conditions, raising concerns about the potential impact of his views on public health.



Read more at CNBC: What Trump’s health pick RFK Jr. could mean for patients, drugmakers