Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the US’s health minister, has begun a new study to look into what he refers to as the “epidemic,” but the shift has alarmed many in the medical field. They claim the work will support long-debunked assertions that vaccines are linked to autism, which Kennedy has frequently pushed in the past.
Kennedy stated on Thursday that the investigation would involve hundreds of experts and that it would have published its findings by September. The aim was to “eliminate those exposure,” he added, which many people believe were references to vaccinations.
Health professionals and organizations that treat dementia responded quickly. According to news organization AFP, the investigation, according to The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, may be biased and intended to refute pre-existing values held by President Donald Trump and John Kennedy. The community claimed that the health ministry was conducting “fraudulent research.”
Health experts emphasized that dementia is not a side effect of vaccination. Kennedy’s opinions, according to French pediatrician Hugo Peyre, demonstrate a glaring lack of understanding of the medical evidence.
According to Thomas Bourgeron, mind of the French Pasteur Institute’s individual biology and mental functions test, “nearly 200 genes have been associated with autism, and roughly 80 % of autism cases may be linked to genetic abnormalities.”
Around one percent of children are already diagnosed with autism, according to WHO, a figure that has increased over time, largely as a result of increased awareness and stricter medical standards.
According to experts, calling it an “epidemic” is false. They warn against refuting falsehoods, which could lead to lower vaccination rates and damage public health. Most of the people in a current measles outbreak in the US were unvaccinated. To date, two children have died.
