As Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dramatically reshapes U.S. immunization policy, we speak with Dr. Fiona Havers, a former top vaccine expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who resigned in June. Last week, Kennedy’s handpicked advisers on a federal vaccine panel voted against universal hepatitis B shots for newborns, reversing 35 years of CDC guidance that all newborns receive the vaccine within 24 hours of birth. The Trump administration also recently altered the CDC’s website to include false claims linking autism and vaccines, in keeping with Kennedy’s spreading of vaccine misinformation going back decades. CNN is reporting the FDA is also considering putting a “black box” warning on COVID-19 vaccines. “This administration is causing a lot of confusion and is using, basically, the CDC to spread misinformation now about vaccines,” says Dr. Havers. She also discusses her decision to resign from the CDC and the chaos the Trump administration has caused at the agency, calling RFK Jr.’s changes a “hostile takeover” to advance “anti-science views.”

2026 is already the deadliest year for measles in the United States since the virus was declared eliminated in 2000. Four people died over the last month in Pennsylvania amid an ongoing outbreak in the state, which had not seen a measles-related death in at least 35 years. All four victims, including two infants, were unvaccinated (children do not receive their first dose of the measles vaccine until they have reached a year old). The deaths come as President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continue to defund public vaccination programs and push debunked claims that vaccines cause autism. Pediatrician and vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit warns that the four reported measles deaths — which were reported by Pennsylvania health officials but have not yet been acknowledged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — are likely a vast undercount. He estimates that there could be “closer to 4,000” cases in the Pennsylvania outbreak. “I don’t think people realize how contagious this virus is,” Offit says. “You don’t have to have direct contact with somebody who has measles. You just have to be within their airspace within two hours of them being there.” We also speak to Offit about the COVID-19 virus, which he says is now affecting the United States “like flu” by causing “hundreds of thousands of people to be hospitalized and tens of thousands to die, just like influenza does, every year.” Yearly flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, he explains, are “effective at keeping people out of the hospital, effective at keeping them out of the intensive care unit, and effective at keeping them out of the morgue.”

222 likes, 3 comments - crohnicallyoutdoors on September 19, 2026: "There are so many similarities between the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and the COVID-19 Pandemic, from political leaders shifting blame to “outsiders” to anti-maskers loudly fighting against public safety precautions. We all know that history repeats itself, will we ever learn our lesson?? This post is focused on comparisons to Trump and the United States during COVID, but countries worldwide have seen an increase of authoritarianism rulers since the pandemic has started. PS this song Bella Ciao historically didn’t become popular until after World War 2, but is an Italian anti-Fascist folk song. #chronicillnessawareness #disability #chronicallyill #covid #history".

On September 13, 2026, a 40-year-old unvaccinated woman died from measles complications in Pennsylvania, amidst an outbreak in the state.

5,264 likes, 158 comments - crohnicallyoutdoors on September 9, 2026: "This post will cover sensitive topics. Alt texts provided. Edit: slide 8 correction- estimates of total deaths of disabled people are actually over 300,000 Not sure what a dog whistle is? Please read these slides to learn more about disability history and what political dog whistles are. As many of us know by now, there has been an influx of right-wing publications targeting the disabled community recently. These aren’t innocent opinion pieces or articles that simply misrepresent their targets on accident. These are deliberate writings full of dog whistles with the goal of smearing and discrediting the disabled and chronically ill. The effects of articles like these are to decrease funding (required by many disabled people to continue living) and to fuel public support of stripping away the rights of disabled individuals. The long term goal is to decrease the amount of visibly disabled people in the public, whether by institutionalization or more atrocious ways. #disabilityrights #disabilityawareness #chronicillness #medialiteracy #medicaid".

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In 2019, RFK Jr. went to Samoa to promote antivax propaganda that fueled a measles outbreak. We now learn it was even worse than reported.

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The HHS secretary uses fear of contamination to denigrate modern medicine and advance a project rooted in vulgar eugenics.

Two Pennsylvania residents have died due to measles, health officials said on Tuesday, the first U.S. deaths from the disease reported in 2026 and the first in the state in...

Find latest news from every corner of the globe at Reuters.com, your online source for breaking international news coverage.

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14K likes, 1,321 comments - jamiewheal on July 3, 2026: "Once you spot it, you can’t unsee it.".

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Your epic rant and news summary of the day. RFK Jr is once again officially implicated in deaths. You know, to add to his polio deaths in Africa. What's next, polio comeback? So while I know this doesn't yet apply to Canada, this shit proves why we need MORE funding in public health & research. What a f'kin eugenicist.

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732 likes, 60 comments - keegantatum on August 21, 2026: "The 3 paths people take to conspiracy theory beliefs. What in human psychology leads us to adopt conspiracist beliefs? #explore #politicalpsychology #politics #psychology".

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