RFK for HHS gets its own thread
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@jon-nyc said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
It would be interesting to see what the life expectancy here is if you exclude murders, suicides, and overdose deaths. That would do a better job measuring just health outcomes. Not that mental health doesn’t factor into the others.
Auto accident deaths are much higher here, as well.
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It’s also worth noting that the extreme drop in US life expectancy noted ~ 2012 or so to 2021 has reversed course. I suspect opioids overdoses play a bigger part in our aggregate life expectancy than previously supposed…
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@Axtremus said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
@Renauda said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
Statistically Canadians live longer as well Probably the water, clean air and respect for institutions of law and order.
Maybe it's the gun culture.
Maybe it is and some might even think that. I couldn’t possibly comment either way.
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@jon-nyc said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
Now you made me research this for 20 minutes.
Dr. Offit's post is not very accurate, although I do agree overall that anti-vax misinformation may have led to some deaths.
Here are better facts.
- Yes, two infants died in 2018 due to that medical mistake
- The Samoan government took longer than desired to make it clear to the public it was a medical mistake
- The Samoan government paused vaccines, which is where the outbreak came from <- Key point
- Kennedy didn't flood facebook with misinformation, but the anti-vax organization in which he is chairman did
- Kennedy did talk with Samoan officials asking for more proof that the vaccines were not dangerous
- Kennedy (and DeNiro! yes the actor who likes to talk politics even though he's just a celebrity) have held press conferences in the past about vaccines and possible links to autism (DeNiro's kid has it, btw) but focused on Thimerosal (mercury), which is weird since it hasn't really been used since 2001
So, the statement "as a consequence [of Kennedy] vaccination rates fell from 70 percent to 30 percent and therefor killed 83 kids" is not really accurate.
It was mostly the Samoan government's actions that caused the outbreak, although the misinformation that spread on facebook during that year certainly did not help.
Reference links where I got this info:
https://reliefweb.int/report/samoa/measles-outbreak-pacific-situation-report-no-3-29-november-2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50625680
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/anti-vaccination-advocates-double-down-as-measles
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/world/asia/samoa-measles.html
https://www.vox.com/2017/2/15/14622632/robert-de-niro-rfk-jr-vaccine-press-conference
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So he cheered it on more than caused it.
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More importantly though he didn’t learn from it. He still thinks we shouldn’t give the measles vaccine to babies.
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@jon-nyc said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
More importantly though he didn’t learn from it.
That would involve him changing his belief system, which seems unlikely.
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@jon-nyc said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
More importantly though he didn’t learn from it. He still thinks we shouldn’t give the measles vaccine to babies.
Maybe @Aqua-Letifer needs to ask him what is the acceptable number of child deaths for him to change his mind? I vote 25.
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The Scarf Speaks
Dr. Deborah Birx, former White House Coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday she is "excited" for the data on key health issues that will surface in Senate confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's controversial pick for Health and Human secretary who has spread false information on vaccines and autism.
"I'm actually excited that in a Senate hearing he would bring forward his data and the questions that come from the senators would bring forth their data," Birx said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "What I know for sure is he's a very smart man who can bring his data and his evidence base forward, and we can have a discussion that many Americans believe already is a problem."
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday in a social media post that he'll nominate Kennedy to oversee the Health and Human Services Department, which encompasses multiple agencies and has a $1 trillion budget. The position has to be approved by the Senate, which, come January, will be controlled by Republicans, which could make the nomination process easier but is not a guarantee.
"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," Trump wrote in a social media post last week. He said Americans have been "crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation" about public health, and Kennedy would "Make America Great and Healthy Again!"
At an October rally, Trump promised to let Kennedy "go wild" on health issues.
Kennedy has criticized vaccines extensively in the past, including spreading misleading claims about their safety. He has also pledged to tackle an "epidemic" of chronic diseases and believes that large drug and food companies are to blame for a broad swath of ailments. Kennedy argues that a number of health issues in the U.S. have worsened, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sleep disorders, infertility rates, diabetes and obesity, which he blames on federal inaction.
Kennedy has insisted that he is not "anti-vaccine" and has pledged not to ban vaccines under the Trump administration. Kennedy instead promises to "restore the transparency" around vaccine safety data and records that he accuses HHS officials of hiding. This data is expected to be addressed in upcoming confirmation hearings in Congress, a dialogue that Birx said she believes Americans will benefit from learning more about the differing perspectives on concerns surrounding vaccines.
"So until we can have that transparency and that open discussion from both sides, I know the members have incredible staffers who will bring great questions from their constituents, and that hearing would be a way for Americans to really see the data that you're talking about," Birx said on Sunday.
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I should have known this, as they are one of two committees of jurisdiction for our bill. But this was welcome news to me.
Kennedy’s nomination is set to run through the Senate Finance Committee early next year, which is slated to be led by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
I know Mike’s brother Jim. He’s a pulmonologist that works with us and with the COPD Foundation, which our founder also started. He gets it. Senator Crapo is a traditional conservative. Mormon. Wants to do the right thing.
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To put it more bluntly, Jim Crapo’s career has been largely dedicated to the COPDGene study, funded by the NHLBI, a division of the NIH.
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He and Ed Silverman at the Brigham (another friend of our foundation) are the Co-PIs for the program. 25+ medical centers are involved.
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@jon-nyc said in RFK for HHS gets its own thread:
Senator Crapo is a traditional conservative. Mormon.
Mormons generally have been far less likely to abandon their long-held principles to support Trump. Contrast that with, say, Evangelicals.
They may still vote for him, but with no small amount of despair and maybe even an ounce of self loathing.
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FYI they pronounce it ‘Cray-po’ not ‘Crap-o’
DON’T let them eat cake.
- RFK Jr -
Me too. Glad someone told me before I met Jim.
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