The US may ‘go wild’, but Australia must protect vaccination sentiment

Now that the election of Donald Trump has been confirmed, attention has turned to whom the returning US president will surround himself with for the next four years.

On health policy, Trump has strongly suggested that prominent anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr, face of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, will have a seat at the table.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr says people “ought to have a choice” on vaccines.Credit: AP

“I’m gonna let him go wild on health ... I’m gonna let him go wild on medicines,” Trump said at a New York rally last month.

For US public health advocates, this is a source of stress.

RFK Jr – John F. Kennedy’s nephew – is a frequent proponent of health misinformation, pedalling disproven claims that vaccines cause autism and advocating for the removal of fluoride from America’s drinking water, a policy he believes the Trump administration will implement.

Trump does not seem to be in total agreement with his views, telling podcast host and fellow anti-vaxxer Joe Rogan: “I know you’re against certain vaccines, but, like, [before] the polio vaccine, people had polio. It was, like, a disaster.”

In turn, RFK Jr told NBC News he would not “take vaccines away” from the public, confirming he would meet senior Trump aides on Wednesday to discuss his role.

“If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away,” he said. “People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information.

“So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”

Of course, such scientific safety studies are “out there” – and they are interpreted by health agencies with rigour for a vaccine to be registered for use.

In Australia, there are also concerns about rising anti-vaccination sentiment. The federal pandemic inquiry found people were now more reluctant to receive vaccines following confused communications from governments and widespread social media misinformation

Childhood vaccination rates have fallen for the past two years, a trend linked to shortages in bulk-billing GPs and increased distrust in vaccines.

The implications are already being felt. Australia is experiencing its worst whooping cough epidemic on record, with more than 41,000 confirmed cases this year, driven by schoolchildren. One in four 13-year-olds due for the relevant booster shot did not get it last year.

As Natassia Chrysanthos reports today, the federal government will make the RSV vaccine free for pregnant women after 12,000 babies were hospitalised this year when the respiratory virus spiked nationwide.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the new program, the most comprehensive in the world, should stop 10,000 babies being hospitalised each year.

Australia’s history of strong public health policy – from uptake of COVID-19 shots to the near elimination of HIV – should be a source of pride. If the US goes wild on health, our leaders will do well to keep going sensible.

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