Doctors are left aghast after Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s top vaccine advisor questioned the necessity of the polio vaccine, a move that has sent shockwaves through the medical community.
The chair of a federal vaccine advisory panel, pediatric cardiologist Kirk Milhoan, made these comments on a podcast recently, sparking outrage among experts. Milhoan expressed skepticism about established scientific methodology and claimed to be focused on safety rather than following "established science". However, his claims have been widely debunked as false and misleading.
Milhoan falsely linked vaccines to allergies, asthma, and eczema and repeated a baseless claim that COVID-19 vaccines kill children. When pressed for evidence, he even suggested putting the risk of vaccine side effects on par with the risks from diseases like polio, which is patently absurd given that disease risks are often orders of magnitude larger than those from vaccines.
Moreover, Milhoan questioned the need for routine vaccinations, including measles and polio vaccines. He even suggested considering alternative approaches to vaccination in light of modern sanitation and risk assessments. This is particularly alarming given the devastating consequences of not vaccinating against diseases like polio.
The American Medical Association (AMA) swiftly responded to Milhoan's comments with a scathing statement, warning that questioning vaccine safety is a "dangerous step backward" and will lead to increased suffering. The AMA Trustee Sandra Adamson Fryhofer stated that vaccines have saved millions of lives and virtually eliminated devastating diseases like polio in the US.
The move has further eroded trust in federal vaccine policy among medical experts, with 27 states and Washington D.C. already announcing they will not follow current CDC vaccine recommendations. In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released an updated childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule that is being widely endorsed by pediatricians.
Experts are now left to wonder if Milhoan's comments signal a return to anti-vaccination sentiments in the US, which could have catastrophic consequences for public health.
The chair of a federal vaccine advisory panel, pediatric cardiologist Kirk Milhoan, made these comments on a podcast recently, sparking outrage among experts. Milhoan expressed skepticism about established scientific methodology and claimed to be focused on safety rather than following "established science". However, his claims have been widely debunked as false and misleading.
Milhoan falsely linked vaccines to allergies, asthma, and eczema and repeated a baseless claim that COVID-19 vaccines kill children. When pressed for evidence, he even suggested putting the risk of vaccine side effects on par with the risks from diseases like polio, which is patently absurd given that disease risks are often orders of magnitude larger than those from vaccines.
Moreover, Milhoan questioned the need for routine vaccinations, including measles and polio vaccines. He even suggested considering alternative approaches to vaccination in light of modern sanitation and risk assessments. This is particularly alarming given the devastating consequences of not vaccinating against diseases like polio.
The American Medical Association (AMA) swiftly responded to Milhoan's comments with a scathing statement, warning that questioning vaccine safety is a "dangerous step backward" and will lead to increased suffering. The AMA Trustee Sandra Adamson Fryhofer stated that vaccines have saved millions of lives and virtually eliminated devastating diseases like polio in the US.
The move has further eroded trust in federal vaccine policy among medical experts, with 27 states and Washington D.C. already announcing they will not follow current CDC vaccine recommendations. In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released an updated childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule that is being widely endorsed by pediatricians.
Experts are now left to wonder if Milhoan's comments signal a return to anti-vaccination sentiments in the US, which could have catastrophic consequences for public health.