Samoa’s top health official has denounced Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims about the 2019 measles epidemic in the country, calling them a “complete lie.” Kennedy suggested that some who died in the outbreak didn’t have the disease, which the health official refuted. Kennedy visited Samoa during the outbreak, but denied that his trip fueled anti-vaccine sentiment.
The 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa killed 83 people in a population of 200,000 due to historically low vaccination rates. Kennedy’s visit to Samoa was organized by an anti-vaccine influencer, sparking concerns about his influence. He claimed that tissue samples sent to New Zealand showed that many of the deceased did not have measles, but the health official dismissed this as a “huge denial.”
Kennedy said his visit was to introduce a health informatics system, but the health official pointed to social media posts of anti-vaccine advocates meeting Kennedy during his trip. Kennedy’s potential appointment as U.S. health secretary raised concerns in Samoa about his influence on vaccination initiatives. Despite Kennedy’s denial of impacting Samoa’s vaccine uptake, the health official believes his appointment would pose a danger to the Pacific region.
If confirmed as the top U.S. health official, Ekeroma warned that Kennedy could hinder access to vaccines for small nations like Samoa. Despite Kennedy’s claims and denials, his visit to Samoa during the epidemic and subsequent comments have raised concerns about his influence and potential impact on global health initiatives.
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