As news broke of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for US Health Secretary, a wave of unease swept through the global health community. Kennedy, known for his anti-vaccine views and spreading of misinformation, could wield immense influence over not just American health policy, but the wellbeing of populations worldwide. Experts fear that under his leadership, hard-fought progress in immunization, pandemic preparedness, and chronic disease prevention could unravel with disastrous consequences.
“Like Making Andrew Wakefield the UK’s Health Secretary”
The shock at Kennedy’s selection was palpable and quickly reverberated around the world. One global health activist, who asked to remain anonymous, likened the move to “making the disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield, who falsely claimed that the MMR vaccine caused autism, the UK’s health secretary.” The analogy underscores the gravity of installing someone with a track record of questioning established science in such an influential post.
That sound that you just heard was my jaw dropping, hitting the floor and rolling out of the door.
– Prof. Sir Simon Wessely, King’s College London
Measles Resurgence and Derailed Progress
Experts express deep concern that Kennedy might use his new platform to advance the same anti-science positions on vaccines and other life-saving public health measures that he’s promoted for years. Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, warned that if this makes families hesitant to immunize against deadly childhood diseases, “the consequence will be fatal for some.”
Measles offers a chilling case study in the fragility of progress. The measles vaccine has prevented over 60 million deaths globally in just 25 years. Yet this momentum can rapidly reverse, as seen in the 2023 measles outbreak in Samoa after immunization rates plummeted from 83% to 31% following Kennedy’s visit there to suggest faulty vaccines were to blame for infant deaths.
Progress will be rapidly lost in societies where vaccine hesitancy is promoted – as I fear will be the case in the US if Kennedy is appointed.
– Prof. Beate Kampmann, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Far-Reaching Ripple Effects
As the largest funder of global health initiatives and home to major pharmaceutical companies and research institutions, the US wields outsized influence. While some agencies may resist an anti-science agenda, Trump’s threats to withdraw from the WHO and cut funding for reproductive health services could have severe repercussions, especially for low-resource nations.
The Covid-19 pandemic showcased the power of US leadership in vaccine development and distribution through Operation Warp Speed. However, experts doubt that this scientific mobilization would be repeated under Kennedy for future outbreaks. At a time when pandemic preparedness is paramount, this prospect is alarming.
A Glimmer of Hope in a Grim Outlook?
Amidst the apprehension, some see a potential silver lining in Kennedy’s pledge to tackle chronic diseases by addressing processed foods and taking on Big Pharma to expand access to affordable medicines. Global rates of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases have skyrocketed, burdening health systems in rich and poor nations alike.
Many global health activists would agree that pharmaceutical companies should be asked why so much of the world lacks access to affordable medicines – not falsely accused of making vaccines that harm people.
However, even this faint promise is eclipsed by the overarching fear that misinformation and science skepticism could become entrenched in US policy with Kennedy at the helm. As Prof. Pollard put it, “There is real concern that Kennedy might use the platform to pursue the same anti-science positions on life-saving public health interventions that he has advanced previously.”
In a world facing intersecting health crises – from the resurgence of preventable diseases to the looming specter of the next pandemic – the prospect of an American health secretary hostile to established science is a grave threat. The international health community will be watching closely and hoping that Kennedy’s most dangerous views can be curtailed. But they are bracing for the worst, knowing that the shockwaves will be felt in clinics and communities far beyond US borders.
