Robert F Kennedy Jr. Is Dead Wrong About Vaccines

Joe Rogan, America’s most popular podcaster, recently called for Professor Peter Hotez, an internationally recognized pediatric infectious disease doctor and vaccine scientist, to come on his podcast to debate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), a prolific spreader of medical disinformation. Rogan even offered to donate $100,000 to a charity of Hotez’s choice if he agreed to the debate. Hotez declined—instead offering to be a guest on Rogan’s show to discuss vaccine science. Hotez is right not to take the bait. Rogan is unqualified to moderate such a debate, and has himself peddled disinformation about vaccines. Debating anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists like RFK Jr. is a fool’s errand, which always backfires, as history has demonstrated repeatedly. These debates give the false impression that there are “two equivalent sides,” and therefore can cause real public health damage. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Historian Andrew Wehrman, an expert on the history of smallpox vaccination in the United States, gives a telling example of the harm that is done when an expert debates an anti-vaxxer. In Minnesota in 1902, the local anti-vaccination league hoped to overturn a law requiring vaccination of schoolchildren against smallpox, managing to organize a debate. Dr. Justus Ohage, a giant of medicine, engaged anti-vaccine advocate W.B. Clarke. Ohage discussed the evidence around the importance of smallpox vaccination. Clarke raised ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized freelance health Source Type: news