With Robert Kennedy JR to US Healthcare and a measles epidemic in Texas, scientists are wondering what the next infections will spread overseas.
An epidemic of measles that includes at the moment Over 250 cases Between Texas, Oklahoma and Nuovo Mexico has renewed the fear that, in the USA of the second term of Trump, Diseases once disappeared such as measles, pertussis and rubella can return to circular on a large scale.
The reasons are the insufficient vaccination coverage, which favors new skiing bags of the contagions; a situation of chaos in the country’s health systems; weakened by the cuts of entire departments, and one wanted ambiguity in messages delivered to citizens by the highest health authorities.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, politician and environmental lawyer with a solid anti-vaccinist curriculum behind him and adherence to conspiracy theories, is now secretary of health and human services.
Morbillo: a return in great style. Morbillo is a highly contagious infection against which we have a highly effective vaccine: 90% of susceptible people exposed to an infected person will contrast the disease. To stem the Morbillivirus and obtaining the immunity of flock must At least 95% of a population is completely vaccinated. In the United States, during the Covid pandemic, the level dropped to 93% and has yet to restore itself.
The problem is also present in Europe and also in Italy. The Health Commission of the Accademia dei Lincei has in these days expressed concern about the insufficient vaccination coverage in our country: in 2024, the cases of measles in the boot were 1,045, 1001 more than 2023, and half of the infected patients He needed hospitalization.
Immunity in holes. As an article on points out on Naturehowever, that 95% refers to an ideal situation in which vaccinated individuals are equally distributed within the population. In the Texas region where the measles epidemic spread, the percentage of vaccinated equivalent to 82% of the population. These bags of unvaccinated individuals contribute to creating the outbreaks of the disease and encourage its initial circulation. The leopard spot cover is bringing the United States very close to losing the status of elimination of measles. And the messages spread by the health authorities are not helping.
Healthcare in chaos. After the Usa exit from the WHO and drastic cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which are intended to encourage the spread of diseases so far preventable in the USA and in the rest of the world, the appointment of Kennedy JR to the health and the dismissal of hundreds of health workers from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have arrived, an important control body of the United States that should take care of public health protection.
And in this situation of general chaos, the decision of the CDCs – reported by sources of the Reuters agency – to open an investigation into the potential connections between vaccines and autism, the flag theory of no -vax movements, a false myth based on an article -Frode then withdrawn and denied by a amount of scientific studies.
A deliberate ambiguity. Meanwhile, conflicting messages have arrived from Kennedy JR. After repeatedly denied being against vaccines in the hearings of confirmation of his appointment, the highest US health authority initially has The gravity of the measles epidemic in Texas minimizedonly to release a (now late) declaration on the importance of vaccines to prevent infections. Later he emphasized the importance of proper nutrition and some supplements (Vitamin A, cod liver oil) to reduce the severity of measles infection.
This burst of confused messages has further disoriented the population. Several health structures in Texas have reported cases of unvaccinated children against measles, to which parents had given vitamin A (which can be toxic in high dosages). A situation that is undermining the credibility of US health institutions.
