"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has just started in his goal to end federal vaccine mandates, but this is part of a trend that started nearly a decade ago"--Aphrodite Avidon, 8th Grade
Vaccination was a widely supported topic, and it still is with most parents, Yet rates have slipped in the past decade, and could slip more with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking office as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy has expressed support in favor of ending federal recommendations for vaccinations such as COVID-19 and Influenza and often criticizes the Center for Disease Control (CDC), saying it does not conduct proper tests on the safety of vaccines, a disproven claim.
While Kennedy entered American politics quite recently, vaccination rates among kindergarteners have been falling for the past decade. Vaccinations for Measles, Polio, and Pertussis (Whooping Cough) among kindergarteners have fallen 3% nationally since the pandemic and as much as 11% in some states, ending decades of growing rates. The CDC aims to have Polio, Measles, and Pertussis at a 95% vaccination rate, and that has succeeded in most years, with Measles deaths falling annually from 2000-2017, and has held stable since. The polio vaccine is one of the most effective vaccines ever, decreasing 99.99% since the vaccine’s development, with only 12 cases in 2024. Kennedy still has expressed opinions against the vaccine, saying in 2023, “There is no vaccine that is safe and effective,” as well as “it killed many, many, more people than polio ever did,” a false statement. Only 11 people have ever died from the vaccine, mainly in unhealthy individuals and people who did not receive a vaccine administered by a medical professional, while estimates show millions of deaths from the disease. Kennedy seems to have reversed his position since, and when asked by the press at his senate confirmation hearing for HHS Secretary, he said “I’m all for the polio vaccine.” His confirmation was opposed by all members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and supported by all Republican senators except Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a polio survivor.
While it’s unknown why vaccination rates have suffered in recent years, one factor could be the rise of Donald Trump in American politics. In 2000, years before his first presidential campaign, Trump suggested that vaccines cause autism, seemingly linking them to what he called “An epidemic of autism.” Trump repeated similar claims in 2009 and 2012, most notably in the 2015 Republican presidential primary debate. Another notable claim was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Trump said “[Bleach] Is a great thing to look at” as a solution to contracting COVID, before the vaccine was widely available.
While Kennedy entered American politics quite recently, vaccination rates among kindergarteners have been falling for the past decade. Vaccinations for Measles, Polio, and Pertussis (Whooping Cough) among kindergarteners have fallen 3% nationally since the pandemic and as much as 11% in some states, ending decades of growing rates. The CDC aims to have Polio, Measles, and Pertussis at a 95% vaccination rate, and that has succeeded in most years, with Measles deaths falling annually from 2000-2017, and has held stable since. The polio vaccine is one of the most effective vaccines ever, decreasing 99.99% since the vaccine’s development, with only 12 cases in 2024. Kennedy still has expressed opinions against the vaccine, saying in 2023, “There is no vaccine that is safe and effective,” as well as “it killed many, many, more people than polio ever did,” a false statement. Only 11 people have ever died from the vaccine, mainly in unhealthy individuals and people who did not receive a vaccine administered by a medical professional, while estimates show millions of deaths from the disease. Kennedy seems to have reversed his position since, and when asked by the press at his senate confirmation hearing for HHS Secretary, he said “I’m all for the polio vaccine.” His confirmation was opposed by all members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and supported by all Republican senators except Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a polio survivor.
While it’s unknown why vaccination rates have suffered in recent years, one factor could be the rise of Donald Trump in American politics. In 2000, years before his first presidential campaign, Trump suggested that vaccines cause autism, seemingly linking them to what he called “An epidemic of autism.” Trump repeated similar claims in 2009 and 2012, most notably in the 2015 Republican presidential primary debate. Another notable claim was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Trump said “[Bleach] Is a great thing to look at” as a solution to contracting COVID, before the vaccine was widely available.
Another reason for vaccine fear could be the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. This claim originated from a 1998 study. The study was revealed to be fraudulent, and a much larger study in 2015 found that of 95,000 people, those who were vaccinated for MMR and Flu had no larger chance of being diagnosed with Autism than those who weren’t. While autism rates have increased largely in the past decades, this is only related to more accessibility to testing and more extensive studies on the condition.
In 2024, 285 people were diagnosed with measles. By March 2025, over 370 had the disease; if that number continues to rise at the current rate, measles cases will be at the highest in over a decade. Gaines County, where an outbreak started and has already killed two people, has the lowest vaccination rate in Texas, with more than half of students in the Loop Independent School District not having received an MMR Vaccine. Numbers are unknown for Texas cases, but in New Mexico, where the outbreak spread, 27 of the 32 cases are among unvaccinated individuals.
Kennedy has not promoted getting vaccinated for Measles since the outbreak, but instead encouraged people to try alternative medicines like cod liver oil or to increase their intake of various vitamins. Those theories are widely scientifically disproven, and cod liver oil could be harmful if taken at a too large dosage.
Vaccine misinformation has spread rapidly among social media programs, and government distrust is at an all-time high, this can change, and trust in the American healthcare system can be rebuilt, however, this is unlikely to happen, as states still choose to relax rules about vaccine exemptions.
In 2024, 285 people were diagnosed with measles. By March 2025, over 370 had the disease; if that number continues to rise at the current rate, measles cases will be at the highest in over a decade. Gaines County, where an outbreak started and has already killed two people, has the lowest vaccination rate in Texas, with more than half of students in the Loop Independent School District not having received an MMR Vaccine. Numbers are unknown for Texas cases, but in New Mexico, where the outbreak spread, 27 of the 32 cases are among unvaccinated individuals.
Kennedy has not promoted getting vaccinated for Measles since the outbreak, but instead encouraged people to try alternative medicines like cod liver oil or to increase their intake of various vitamins. Those theories are widely scientifically disproven, and cod liver oil could be harmful if taken at a too large dosage.
Vaccine misinformation has spread rapidly among social media programs, and government distrust is at an all-time high, this can change, and trust in the American healthcare system can be rebuilt, however, this is unlikely to happen, as states still choose to relax rules about vaccine exemptions.
