MAHA, RFK Jr. confirmation put childhood vaccines in spotlight: MMR fact vs fiction
Amid Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to improve healthcare as part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, there is a growing focus on vaccine transparency.
One of the most common childhood inoculations — the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine — has been a requirement for school attendance since its development in the 1970s.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier answered some frequently asked questions regarding the vaccine in a video for Fox News Digital. (See the video at the top of the article.)
Make America Healthy Again: What To Know About The Movement
People often ask why the three vaccines are combined, which Saphier said is simply for convenience.
"From a public health standpoint, if the goal is to vaccinate as many children as possible to reach that herd immunity and keep these infections at bay, again, parents are more likely to only bring their child to the pediatrician that one time," the doctor said.
Read On The Fox News App
"And on a child, isn't it easier to give one injection as opposed to three separate injections?"
Lara Trump On Food, Health And America's Children: 'We Want The Truth'
Saphier also addressed concerns about MMR vaccine side effects, including inflammatory reactions at the site of the injection, where the skin can become red and warm.
Children can also have low-grade fevers and feel irritable or lethargic, which is "likely to happen" even with each individual vaccine – not just when the vaccines are combined.
"The reality is there are always side effects when it comes to any sort of healthcare intervention," she said in the video. "But with vaccines in particular, you can have the more mild side effects, and there are some severe, more rare side effects that are well-documented."
The potential for a link between autism and vaccinations has been a deterrent for many parents when choosing to vaccinate their children, but Saphier said the "overwhelming majority" of "good research" shows no causal link.
Bill Gates Likely Had Autism As A Child, He Reveals: 'Wasn't Widely Understood'
One of the largest studies, conducted in Denmark, found a lower risk of autism in more than 650,000 vaccinated children, the doctor noted.
While the U.S. has a higher incidence of autism compared to other countries, specifically Europe, the doctor revealed that European nations have higher rates of MMR vaccine uptake.
"The signs and symptoms [of autism] start to show around the time we're giving all these vaccines, so it makes sense to kind of think they may be related," she said.
"And it made sense to do as much research as we can to make sure there isn't a link."
Maha Moms Call For 'Rigorous Transparency' Into Health Concerns
"But I think we need to be looking really hard at our environment, what we're ingesting, the pollutants, the toxins, everything in big agriculture, big pharma, in our food industry and everything else."
Saphier suggested that a link to autism may be found after diving into the "harmful chemicals" consumed by Americans that other nations do not consume.
The doctor also said that medical agencies — such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics — should be "less stringent" on vaccination schedules, leaving the decision to the parents.
"If parents don't want to give these vaccines when their babies are so little, I think it's OK to have that conversation and let them wait until their child's a little bit older before they head off to kindergarten," said Saphier, who is a mother of three boys.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
"Because maybe at that time, you start to see signs of autism between about 1 to 3 years of age for the most part. So maybe let the parent get their child through that time, and if there aren't signs of autism, then maybe they'll feel better about … being able to vaccinate their children."
"It should be a conversation between the doctor and the patient," she said.
"Unfortunately, during the COVID pandemic, the CDC and a lot of healthcare professionals really took away this conversation."
"By putting the COVID vaccine and booster for children in the same basket as MMR and some of the other vaccines, when it comes to children, that was the biggest mistake they could have ever [made]," Saphier continued.
"That has caused more vaccine hesitancy and concern."
Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter
Saphier expressed her hope that the MAHA movement will help identify safety signals in vaccines, which will "give parents the confidence they need to continue with the vaccine programs, because they really can save lives."
Fox News Digital's Khloe Quill contributed reporting.Original article source: MAHA, RFK Jr. confirmation put childhood vaccines in spotlight: MMR fact vs fiction
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
RFK Jr. blows up America's vaccine policy
America's vaccine policy has been set for decades, with patients, providers, scientists and insurers more or less in sync on the merits of immunizations. In the last several weeks, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has upended long-standing norms, introducing uncertainty into a once-reliable system. Why it matters: Access to health care may shift in unpredictable ways. At worst, infectious diseases once thought to be eradicated could return. Catch up quick: Kennedy sent shockwaves through the medical community two weeks ago with a controversial decision to stop recommending the COVID vaccine to healthy kids and healthy pregnant women. The CDC contradicted this just days later, recommending that healthy kids do get the COVID shot. Confusion escalated this week, when Kennedy abruptly dismissed all 17 members of the expert panel that wields a great deal of power in shaping vaccine policy and makes recommendations to the CDC. Some of the eight new members Kennedy quickly named have expressed anti-vaccine sentiment in the past. Together, these changes represent a sharp break from public health precedent — and raise questions about what happens next. Case in point: Leigh Haldeman, a pregnant woman in Seattle, was recently turned away when going to get a COVID booster shot, as recommended by her doctor, CNN reports. Cases like hers could become more common. While most doctors and pharmacies will likely still be able to recommend and administer the vaccine, access might start to erode. Insurers are likely to start denying coverage of the COVID vaccine to groups who aren't deemed eligible by the government, putting the vaccine out of reach for people who don't have the time to seek out a willing provider or the money to pay out of pocket for the shot. The other side: Kennedy has said replacing the members of the expert panel is a "major step towards restoring public trust in vaccines." He's also said the decision to stop recommending COVID vaccines to kids is common sense because they're less likely to get very sick from COVID than adults. But the vaccine can still protect kids who could develop serious symptoms — and do so with no appreciable side effects, Chris Forrest, a professor of pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told the New York Times. Zoom out: The COVID vaccine could just be the beginning. The CDC advisory panel members picked by Kennedy thus far are more aligned with his skeptical views of vaccines. They could radically reshape — or even scrap — national vaccine recommendations, including those for kids. They could also require more testing of new vaccines for safety and efficacy, which could have upstream effects — discouraging academic labs and drug companies from pursuing vaccine research and development. What to watch: Big changes in America's vaccine policy come amid a major cultural shift. Vaccine skepticism is on the rise, and more kindergartners are showing up to school with exemptions.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
L'Oréal Is Acquiring Medik8 Skin Care Brand
PARIS — L'Oréal is digging deeper into premium skin care by taking a majority stake in Medik8. The news, announced Monday morning, confirms a WWD report on May 9 that L'Oréal had emerged as the front-runner to acquire the U.K.-based brand. More from WWD EXCLUSIVE: Beekman 1802 Founders Release Book 'G.O.A.T. Wisdom: How to Build a Truly Great Business' Assessing the Opportunities and Barriers in Developing Designer Fragrances EXCLUSIVE: Olympic Gymnast Jordan Chiles Becomes Hero Cosmetics' Latest Global Ambassador As part of the deal Inflexion, a European mid-market private equity firm, is to remain a minority shareholder. Medik8's founder Eliot Isaacs will continue serving on its board, and the management committee will stay, as well. L'Oréal also now has the rights to buy out the minority shareholders of Medik8 in full. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it has been pegged at about 1 billion euros, according to media reports, indicating a return to unicorn valuations in the beauty industry. 'This acquisition further strengthens L'Oréal's Luxe portfolio, adding a premium, science-backed skin care brand with a proven track record of success, with strong potential for global growth,' L'Oréal said in a statement released Monday. Cyril Chapuy, president of L'Oréal Luxe, said that 'as a premium skin care range, with high levels of proven efficacy at an accessible price point, Medik8 perfectly complements our existing skin care portfolio.' He added: 'We share a strong belief in Medik8's global potential, and are excited to embark on this journey together, to build a powerful and impactful brand presence worldwide.' Simon Coble, chief executive officer of Medik8, said the brand was 'joining forces with a company which shares our vision for future growth and whose core values align with our deep commitment to science, innovation and, above all, results without compromise. I look forward to the next stage in Medik8's journey, as we work together to bring our innovative products to a wider audience.' Isaacs said in a separate statement released by Medik8 that the brand was born to prove that skin care can deliver no-compromise results, which are rooted in science, consumer experience and driven by sustainability. 'I am delighted that Medik8 has now found its long-term home at L'Oréal — a partner that fundamentally embraces our vision and gives us the platform to deliver it on a truly global scale,' he said. WWD had been told there were numerous suitors wooing Medik8, which is in the hot beauty category of prestige skin care. At the beginning of the year, WWD reported that Medik8 was exploring deal options. In a WWD article published on Jan. 27, Coble said: 'It's natural that we are starting to think about our future and also about future growth investments. We have no specific plans or timeline in place. The business is very well invested in today, is extremely profitable and there is no urgency on our part.' In 2025, the brand's global revenues are expected to hit around $115 million, while its sales in 2024 were up 50 percent. Medik8's hero product is its Crystal Retinal serum, and the brand is also known for its proprietary CSA Philosophy, a system using vitamin C and sunscreen in the day, followed by vitamin A by night. In January, Medik8 unveiled its new Liquid Peptides Advanced MP serum. Medik8's peptide products have become a growth engine for it in the U.S. market, which the brand entered in 2023. Medik8's Crystal Retinal Serum was included in WWD Beauty Inc's 100 Greatest Skin Care Products of All Time. The brand's products are developed and manufactured in-house in its U.K. Innovation Center, based outside of London. Medik8, a B Corp-certified brand, was founded in 2009 by Isaacs. Today, it has more than 300 employees and sells products in more than 7,000 clinics. 'Still true to its professional origins, the brand has also evolved toward a diversified omnichannel sales mix across the most prominent online and offline retailers in Europe, with a growing presence in the U.S.,' L'Oréal said in the statement. Medik8 is sold in professional clinics, pharmacies, on its direct-to-consumer website and through e-tailers and retailers, including Space NK, Sephora U.K. and Harrods. L'Oréal's Luxe division has a portfolio of brands including Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Helena Rubenstein, Carita, Biotherm, Aesop, Kiehl's, Youth to the People, Shu Uemura and Yue Sai. In the first three months of 2025, the division led the group's overall sales growth. L'Oréal Luxe registered sales of 4.09 billion euros, up 7.3 percent on a reported basis and 5.8 percent in like-for-like terms. News of the Medik8 acquisition comes less than two weeks after it was announced that E.l.f. Beauty was acquiring Hailey Bieber's Rhode in a transaction valuing at $1 billion. This marks an uptick in beauty deals after a period of decline. A bevy of beauty brands had entered the market over the last year, but most of those never culminated in deals. Best of WWD Which Celebrity Brands Are Next for a Major Deal? Lady Gaga, Beyonce and More Possible Contenders for the Next Corporate Prize The Best Makeup Looks in Golden Globes History A Look Back at Golden Globes Best Makeup on the Red Carpet, From Megan Fox to Sophia Loren [PHOTOS]
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alberta's measles outbreaks are now the worst in nearly half a century
Alberta's measles surge is so dramatic, the last time case counts were higher Calgary did not have an NHL team, O Canada was not yet the official national anthem and gasoline would set you back 24 cents a litre. The province reported 29 more cases on Thursday, bringing the total since the outbreaks began in March to 868. That pushes the province past the levels seen during a surge in 1986, when 854 cases were reported. A higher case count hasn't been recorded since 1979. "It's a little shocking. The numbers we're looking at now today really haven't been seen in Alberta since the 1970s," said Craig Jenne, a professor in the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Calgary. "[We're] really going back to an era where the vaccine program really was just getting started. We're going back to, really, pre-vaccination times here in Alberta," he said. While there had been earlier versions of a measles vaccine, Alberta launched its routine immunization program for a single dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine in 1982. According to the Public Agency of Canada, the rollout of the single MMR dose took place across the country between 1974 and 1983. Two doses of the vaccine became routine between 1996 and 1997. "By the time we got into the early 1980s, for the most part most children in Canada were vaccinated and measles became a thing largely of the past," said Jenne, who's also the deputy director of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. "There were years with significant outbreaks, including 1986, but as the numbers reveal today we've eclipsed even those outbreaks. So we really have thrown the province back into a situation where we're looking much like Canada did before we had open access to measles vaccines." According to the Alberta government, the highest recorded measles case count was in 1957, when 12,337 cases were reported. Health officials are cautioning that this year's official case count is just the "tip of the iceberg" and that there are cases in the province going unreported and undetected. The south, central and north zones continue to be the hardest hit. A standing measles exposure advisory remains in effect for southern Alberta due to widespread transmission. On Thursday, Alberta Health Services also issued a standing advisory for the following locations within the north zone, due to high case numbers and concern about broader transmission: The Hamlet of La Crete St. Theresa General Hospital in Fort Vermilion Northwest Health Centre in High Level "Unfortunately we've seen this threshold coming now for several weeks when we had seen the establishment of community level transmission, where vaccine rates simply aren't high enough to stop community spread," said Jenne. As of June 7, a total of 75 Albertans had been hospitalized due to measles since the outbreaks began, including 12 people who ended up in intensive care. The vast majority of cases have been among the unimmunized, according to provincial data. Alberta is offering an early and extra measles vaccine dose to babies as young as six months old who are living in the south, central and north zones. Measles can lead to serious complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation, premature delivery and death. Children under the age of five, pregnant Albertans and those with weakened immune systems are the most vulnerable. Measles symptoms include: High fever. Cough. Runny nose. Red eyes. A blotchy, red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts. In darker skin colours, it may appear purple or darker than surrounding skin. Alberta Health provides detailed information on measles case counts, symptoms and free immunizations here. A measles hotline is available for people with questions about symptoms, immunization records or to book an appointment: 1-844-944-3434. AHS is advising anyone with measles symptoms to stay home and call the hotline before visiting any hospital, medical clinic or pharmacy.
