Summary

Texas hospitals are treating children with vitamin A poisoning linked to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s promotion of the supplement as a measles treatment.

At Covenant Children’s hospital in Lubbock, patients with measles showed abnormal liver function due to excessive vitamin A intake.

Kennedy, the U.S. health secretary, claimed vitamin A dramatically reduces measles mortality. Experts warn his messaging confuses parents and downplays the proven protection of the MMR vaccine.

The U.S. faces its worst measles outbreak in decades, with nearly 500 cases across 21 states and two confirmed deaths.

  • IHeartBadCode@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    151
    ·
    12 days ago

    Experts warn his messaging confuses parents and downplays the proven protection of the MMR vaccine

    Oh look RFK is getting people nearly killed. Who could have seen this coming?

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      101
      ·
      12 days ago

      More importantly, look how no one is getting into trouble for endangering children.

        • orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          12 days ago

          Who so you think they were referring to? What’s with peoples’ inability to read subtlety or infer meaning these days?

          • snooggums@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            15
            ·
            edit-2
            11 days ago

            There’s the people who nominated and approved him, plus everyone who continues to enable him. Also all of the other annti-vaxx and other shitheads who all get a free pass for spreading misinformation that harms children.

            They were clearly referring to a widespread problem of which captain brain worms is one example.

      • peregrin5@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        26
        ·
        11 days ago

        Republicans only care about children that aren’t born (i.e. aren’t children) yet.

        • spooky2092
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          17
          ·
          edit-2
          11 days ago

          Republicans have never been ‘pro-life’, only pro-birth.

          Pre-natal? They care so, so much!

          Pre-school? You’re fucked (metaphorically and, depending on the republican, possibly literally - just ask ol’ Dennis)

      • Mandrilleren@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        10 days ago

        Who would give him trouble? His boss rutinely hangs out with child abusers and could very well be one himself.

  • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    31
    ·
    12 days ago

    We need to make suing government employees that make decisions easier. Things like discrimination for anyone that makes determinations for program eligibility, etc.

    And definitely cabinet positions when decisions clearly are in opposition to available research and lead directly to outcomes like this, where a direct correlation is not only obvious but even easily provable in court.

    Blanket Immunity to cover for incompetent government employees is complete bullshit and doesn’t serve the interests of the nation or it’s citizens at all.

    • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      edit-2
      11 days ago

      Yeah this is one of those suggestions that sounds great on the surface but will just completely break government. Every single decision will result in a lawsuit, and the only beneficiaries will be lawyers. The inability to sue the cabinet isnt the problem, it’s the degenerates the American people vote in there.

      There’s is no electoral system system and no regulation that can save voters from themselves.

  • SuperCub@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    25
    ·
    edit-2
    10 days ago

    Why are these people ok with isolated vitamin supplements (which are not natural), but not ok with a vaccine? I don’t understand the line they draw.

    • Robbity@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      10 days ago

      Because opinion is more important than fact, and choice is more important than logic.

    • floofloof@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      edit-2
      10 days ago

      They’re contrarians and conspiracists. They will go with whatever the established authorities recommend against.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      10 days ago

      “I don’t know what’s in the vaccine” is the dumbest excuse too. The information is available, and if you don’t trust the information, why would trust the label that tells you those pills are vitamin A. They could put anything in that pill with Vitamin A.

    • HungryJerboa@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      10 days ago

      It’s time to bring RFK to schools with measles outbreaks. Let him personally reassure people that the vaccine is a choice.

      What, you’re worried about catching measles? Why the fuck would you?

  • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    10 days ago

    If parents and doctors aren’t getting in trouble for killing their kids with quack drugs, why are they getting in trouble for giving real medication when their “child” is still in the womb?

  • Wren@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    10 days ago

    Can we just quarantine the entire state? Or just… I don’t know-

    Push it out into the ocean?

  • RobotToaster@mander.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    11 days ago

    Parents overdose their kids on vitamin A, you can’t really blame RFK for them being stupid enough to give doses several orders of magnitude higher than the RDA.

    But then if they’re stupid enough to take health advice from RFK (or any politician, really), it’s a good example of correlation != Causation.

    • spooky2092
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      23
      ·
      11 days ago

      can’t really blame RFK for them being stupid enough to give doses several orders of magnitude higher than the RDA.

      Yes you can. If an idiot in power uses their power to convince stupid people to hurt their children, the person in power is still responsible.

      But then if they’re stupid enough to take health advice from RFK (or any politician, really),

      Yeah, what kind of fucking moron takes health advice from checks notes the secretary of health and human services?

      Granted, you’re right in that people shouldn’t be listening to this specific director because he’s dumber than a bag of hammers, but saying people shouldn’t be listening to people in HHS (in general circumstances, not in this age of crazy pills) is as dumb as them listening to rfk.