RFK Jr. Cuts mRNA Vaccine Funding
mRNA vaccines, which stand for messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA), are "highly effective" and "safe," according to the National Council on Aging, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of older adults in the US.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the mRNA vaccine helps teach your body to fight infectious diseases. More specifically, mRNA technology is utilized in the COVID-19 vaccine, which infectious disease experts say is what helped to slow the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in the US.
According to CBS News, RFK Jr. reiterated that "HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them."
In response to the news, Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations, recently said, "I don't think I've seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business."
Following these vaccine funding cuts, millions have expressed deep concern for the future of medicine, as well as the impact of future pandemics in the US. Here's how medical professionals, lawmakers, and citizens are reacting:
Commonly, people threw some personal digs at RFK Jr., with one person calling him a "despicable quack."
...and a pediatric MD calling him an "anti-vaxx weirdo."
While other medical professionals directly contradicted RFK Jr.'s claims about the mRNA vaccine, calling them "simply false."
And called out RFK Jr.'s "fundamental misunderstanding of immunology."
Another infectious disease doctor argued that RFK Jr.'s decision came from "ideology" and "online anti vax talking points."
And this medical professional and health writer called mRNA vaccines "one of the most important tools we have for preventing future pandemics."
Another person expressed their anger about "throwing away" years of research:
Even politicians have weighed in, with Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock calling the funding cuts a "tragedy."
"Whatever your reason for not voting or voting 3rd party, I promise it wasn't worth destroying our country over," this person wrote.
And this person made a scary observation, writing: "A diseased population is easier to control..."
And finally, this Reddit user summed up what many are feeling: "Imagine being so privileged to have lived in a tiny slice of human history when MILLIONS of people have been spared from pyrogens at the hands of vaccines……only to be somehow convinced the answer to the threat humanity faces going forward is to stop researching the most proven and effective medicine mankind has ever known."
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