The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services has sparked worry among critics due to his long history of anti-vaccine activism. However, there is a lesser-known concern about Kennedy’s stance on the polio vaccine.
Kennedy has criticized the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) used in all 50 US states, despite its proven safety and effectiveness in eradicating the disease in the country. He bases his criticism on the theory that the vaccine was effective against polio but caused side effects from a virus contaminating some batches between 1955-1963.
Kennedy’s associate, Aaron Siri, has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to revoke the approval of the polio vaccine. The New York Times published an article about this development, citing concerns over vaccine skepticism.
The author shares their family’s personal connection to the tragedy of polio. Their mother found a childhood photo of two siblings who resembled her and her brother, both victims of the disease. The children died at ages three and seven from polio, leaving behind a lasting impact on the family.
Polio attacks children, especially small kids, unlike COVID-19. Before Jonas Salk’s invention of the first polio vaccine in 1953, periodic epidemics occurred. In 1945, there were over 13,000 cases of polio and more than 1,000 deaths in the US.
Marcia Rosenthal, a close family friend, lived in Newark during the late 1940s and early 1950s. She recalled parents forbidding children from socializing due to fear of contracting the disease. Her cousin died at age seven after playing in the park with infected siblings.
The vaccine has saved countless lives in the US, with no indigenous cases reported since 1979. However, Kennedy’s stance on the polio vaccine raises concerns that its safety and effectiveness are being questioned.
Source: https://www.thefp.com/p/polio-ravaged-my-family-rfk-jr-vaccines