Duluth, Georgia – October 23: Republican presidential candidate, former US President Donald Trump … [+]
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It is slightly less than a month ago that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The US Senate was confirmed as the secretary of health and human services, and he already faces enormous challenges and tests.
To begin with, there is an active outbreak of measles in Texas and New Mexico that has resulted in more than 150 cases with two deaths in non -vaccinated individuals. Mazles was eradicated by the World Health Organization in America in 2000, and there has been no measles in America in more than two decades so far.
Kennedy explained“We follow the measles epidemic every day. Incidentally, there have been four outbreaks of measles this year. Last year in this country there were 16. So it is not unusual. We have outbreaks of measles every year. “
On his official Account on XKennedy posted: “The termination of measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team at HHS.”
Kennedy has completely triggered this outbreak and explains that the current outbreak is ‘not unusual’. That could not be further from the truth. Most of the outbreaks of measles in America in the past decade have only involved a handful of patients, and the current one has more than a hundred involved. Moreover, a child died, something that has taken place for more than twenty years.
Moreover, Kennedy or his team at the HHS has not even recommended the parents to have their children vaccinated against measles. A known vaccine skeptic He has repeatedly stated that youth vaccines cause autism, Kennedy only stated in his X post that the HHS “has supported Texas Department of Health through technical assistance and vaccines.”
While Kennedy discussed the importance of vaccines in a recent op-ED Fox NewsHe did not follow that vaccines offer the best defense and prevention against measles. Instead, he says: “Good food remains a best defense to most chronic and contagious diseases.”
Being explicit and deliberate in communicating timely health advice is crucial, especially during a fatal output on the disease. The vast majority of measles cases in both Texas and New Mexico has been in non -vaccinated children and vaccines offer the best defense against the disease. Getting one dose of the measles vaccine offers 93% protection, while getting both doses offers 97% protection, according to the CDC.
Given suboptimal vaccine figures in children in Texas and Rising hesitation of vaccine In the United States, a clear and effective message is crucial when curbing the spread of measles. Imagine the impact on parents if the American secretary of HHS came out in a press conference and encouraged all parents to vaccinate their children and deliberately stated that vaccines are the best line of defense against measles. Imagine that President Trump came out and told the parents to explicitly vaccinate their children. Words are important, especially from leaders who have enormous influence on the general public.
Apart from the outbreak of measles, Kennedy also recently took a shot in health communication in a rack He made in the federal registrar. According to the document, the HHS would withdraw the practice to give members of the public a chance to comment on the initiatives of the agency. Public commentary periods are a crucial part of regulations processes and enable individuals, organizations and stakeholders to give input on policy that can influence the lives of millions of Americans.
The pause of public commentary limits the diversity of perspectives that inform public health policy. Experts in the field of Public Health and Lekenburgers can often emphasize practical challenges or scientific evidence that policy makers can overlook. Without public input, the policy runs the risk of being poorly informed and even harmful.
The termination of public commentary for health initiatives also threatens transparency and accountability, both vital for democratic governance. Kennedy has previously criticized transparency In the American health care system, his proposal to eliminate public comments of initiatives is an outright attack on the transparency of health. Without transparency, accountability suffers because HHS staff can determine policies without the need to justify important decisions that will undoubtedly make millions of people.
Americans are now more than ever in desperate need for effective health communication. Misin For information in the field of health and vaccines, especially on social media, is at a record high. Data and important health information has been removed from federal websites, such as critical information about Flu vaccination campaigns. The general public is anxiously looking for guidance about important initiatives such as whether they should mask for measles and whether children are vaccinated for childhood diseases. Nevertheless, very few clear messages come from the federal government.
We have to do better. The health of all Americans will depend on it.