Three relatives of Robert Kennedy Jr. lashed out at the son of the former senator, calling his anti-vaccination advocacy “wrong” and “dangerous” in an op-ed published Wednesday.
In a Politico column, Kennedy’s niece, Maeve Kennedy McKean, and his siblings, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) and former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.), said that recent spikes in preventable diseases, including a 300 percent increase in measles cases worldwide compared to the first quarter of 2018, “are caused by the growing fear and mistrust of vaccines—amplified by internet doomsayers.”
{mosads}The three warn that despite Kennedy Jr.’s valuable work on environmental advocacy, his speaking out against vaccinations, including a meeting with then-President-elect Trump to discuss “vaccine safety,” has helped spread “dangerous misinformation” about vaccines through social media.
“The challenge for public health officials right now is that many people are more afraid of the vaccines than the diseases, because they’ve been lucky enough to have never seen the diseases and their devastating impact,” the three write.
“But that’s not luck; it’s the result of concerted vaccination efforts over many years. We don’t need measles outbreaks to remind us of the value of vaccination.”
Trump himself has promoted conspiracy theories about vaccinations, including promoting the debunked claim of a link to autism in 2014. In April, however, he appeared to reverse himself, calling vaccinations “so important” amid the spike in measles cases.
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 695 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S., the highest number since the disease was declared eliminated nationwide in 2000.
Two Los Angeles universities announced a quarantine due to the disease the same month. Crowdfunding site Indiegogo, citing the online spread of vaccine misinformation, banned anti-vaccine fundraisers in April.