On the Origin of the False Association Between Vaccination and Autism
The author convicted of fraud
We have a man running for POTUS who has spent a lifetime monetizing the false belief that vaccination causes autism.
With the encouragement of Steve Bannon, antivax crusader Robert F. Kennedy Jr now wants to leverage his name and hero status among the antiscience crowd to become POTUS.
He built his entire career on the false association between vaccination and autism.
Where did that idea come from?
An absolutely dreadful paper published by the Lancet decades ago thar was retracted spurred this false association.
The lead author of the paper was convicted of fraud for his role in fabricating the data.
It took YEARS for an investigation to reveal the fraud and for its author to be held accountable. In the interim, the false association became embedded as a deeply held belief among those predisposed to delusional thinking.
The damage done to public health by RFK and the false association cannot be overstated.
The World Health Organization has named the antivaxx movement as one of the top ten threats to global public health responsible for 1.5M deaths annually due to under immunization mostly in third world children of color.
RFK's Antivax Organization is responsible for discouraging vaccination around the world.
He could become the next POTUS.