Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
@DemocracyNow·3.2M subscribers·19.4K videos

"Absolute Nonsense": As Measles Cases Soar & Kids Die, Expert Slams RFK Jr. on Vaccine-Autism Link

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April 18, 2025

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"These were otherwise healthy school-age children who didn't have to die." We speak to the world-renowned pediatrician, virologist and vaccine expert, Dr. Peter Hotez, about the dangerous anti-vaccine agenda of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Amid a growing number of measles cases in the United States, RFK Jr. has promoted skepticism of the efficacy of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. At least two unvaccinated children have died from measles, a highly contagious disease that had been effectively eliminated in the U.S. in the past few decades. Hotez, the father of a child on the autism spectrum, also debunks RFK Jr.'s claims that vaccines are linked to autism, and criticizes his "deeply offensive" statements about people living with autism. Evoking eugenic beliefs, the HHS secretary, who now holds the power to determine healthcare policy in the United States, "shows this consistent lack of intellectual curiosity, this kind of simplistic way of thinking and talking about autism," says Hotez.

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"Absolute Nonsense"Dr Peter HotezUnited States RFK JrRFK Jr'sUnited StatesHotez Democracy NowFriday WatchET Subscribe

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"Absolute Nonsense": As Measles Cases Soar & Kids Die, Expert Slams RFK Jr. on Vaccine-Autism Link · Amy Goodman · Sentinel