YESTERDAY, WE LEARNED NEARLY HALF OF AMERICANS do not reliably know the difference between fact and opinion. Today in Part 2, lamentably enough, the ignorant/uninformed include pre-President Trump and at least one of his appointees, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
An Example of the Ignorant/Uninformed: A Time fact-check title, December 12, 2024, reads, “Trump Draws False Link Between Vaccines and Autism in Time Interview.” Its author Jamie Ducharme writes, “President-elect Donald Trump said in a new interview that he would consider altering childhood vaccination programs in the United States and questioned whether vaccines cause autism—a widely disproven claim.”
The Wakefield Study. Ducharme reviews the troubled Wakefield study: “In 1998, British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield published a study in The Lancet, reporting an apparent association between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and an increased risk of autism…. In the years following, however, multiple other studies refuted that claim, finding no evidence of a connection between MMR vaccination and autism. And in 2004, 10 of Wakefield’s original co-authors published a statement saying their data were ‘insufficient’ to prove that the MMR vaccine causes autism. It also came to light that Wakefield had not properly disclosed a conflict of interest: he was a paid adviser in lawsuits brought by families allegeding vaccines had harmed their children.”
Ducharme adds, “In 2010, more than a decade after it was originally published, The Lancet officially retracted the paper. At the time, the journal’s editor told The Guardian that the study’s conclusions were ‘utterly false.’ The same year, Wakefield lost his U.K. medical license, with regulators saying he had acted ‘dishonestly and irresponsibly in his research.’ ”
Trump and RFK Jr. Image by Alex Brandon/Associated Press from the Los Angeles Times.
Trump’s (and RFK Jr.s’) Ignorance. Ducharme recounts, “It’s true that autism is diagnosed much more frequently now than in the past—but not because vaccines are causing the condition. Researchers have explored possible reasons for the uptick, including rising parental ages and environmental triggers. But much of the increase, research suggests, stems from changes to diagnostic criteria, widespread awareness of the condition, and improvements in screening. Detection jumps have been particularly steep among children of color, girls, and young adults, all of whom have historically been diagnosed less frequently.”
Ducharme reports, “Both Kennedy and Trump have said that the incoming administration intends to conduct more research on vaccine safety, despite the fact that vaccines are already widely studied and safety and efficacy data is publicly available. ‘We’re going to be able to do very serious testing,’ Trump said in the interview with TIME.
Another bit of Trump methodology.
’Nuff seen. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024
