Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services, has a long history of vaccine skepticism despite recently downplaying his anti-vaccine record during Senate confirmation hearings. Kennedy has questioned the efficacy of polio vaccines in the past, but experts say they have saved millions of lives.
Polio, caused by the poliovirus, can lead to fatigue, headaches, and limb pain, with one in 200 infections resulting in paralysis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), widespread vaccination efforts have eradicated wild poliovirus in many regions, including the Americas, Europe, and Africa. The oral vaccine developed by Dr. Albert Sabin is particularly effective for national immunization programs.
The first polio vaccine was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in the 1950s, and it has been instrumental in preventing paralytic polio cases. According to a WHO study, vaccines have prevented 29 million cases of paralytic polio between 1960 and 2021. The US Senate will soon vote on Kennedy’s confirmation as HHS secretary, with many experts warning that his anti-vaccine stance could undermine public confidence in proven cures.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/02/health/polio-vaccines-explained-dg/index.html