NEWSROOM

COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children. But Secretary Kennedy has repeatedly claimed that the vaccines are deadly and should not be given to kids because of their “profound risks”. Kennedy wildly exaggerates the frequency and severity of risks associated with COVID vaccines. He has tried and failed to find any documented pediatric deaths due to the vaccines. Kennedy wants to sow doubt about pediatric COVID-19 vaccines to justify policies that would severely limit the ability of parents to vaccinate their children.

RFK Jr does not want the CDC to recommend newborns be vaccinated against the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV infection early in life, especially as a baby, puts a person at a high risk of developing a chronic lifelong liver infection, which in a quarter of cases can lead to fatal liver failure or cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine for newborns is safe and effective; and it gives durable lifelong protection against a serious infection that children can encounter during birth, and throughout their lifetime in their families and communities.

Acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, is widely regarded as safe to take during pregnancy. Numerous well-designed studies have repeatedly demonstrated the safety of acetaminophen use during pregnancy.  But Secretary Kennedy is falsely claiming that acetaminophen may contribute to increasing rates of autism. He plans for the FDA to issue a black-box warning for acetaminophen use in pregnancy.  That won't reduce autism incidence but would leave pregnant people with no safe treatment for fever which itself can be harmful to the fetus.

RFK, Jr comments about the dangers of water fluoridation are not supported by data and put the dental health of the public at risk.

Although Kennedy claims that “no one knows” how many people died of COVID-19, the CDC used both classic and cutting-edge methods to determine death rates, triangulating robust data from multiple sources. Academic researchers, the World Health Organization, and other experts agree with the CDC’s conclusion that more than one million Americans died of COVID-19 during the first two years of the pandemic.

Defend Public Health's Whopper of the Week: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claims that vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder.

Kennedy has not made COVID19 vaccines accessible to "people who want them, especially the vulnerable". He has made them less accessible to those who need them. His actions are in direct conflict with the scientific evidence demonstrating the safety and efficacy of COVID19 vaccines, as well as the recommendations from expert professionals.