RFK Jr stayed silent on vaccine, says father of child who died from measles
'He did not say that the vaccine was effective,' Pete Hildebrand, the father of Daisy Hildebrand, said in reference to Kennedy during a brief interview on Monday. 'I had supper with the guy … and he never said anything about that.'
Hildebrand's remarks came in response to a question about the national health secretary's publicized visit to Daisy's funeral. It was also after Kennedy issued a statement in which he accurately said: 'The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,' which also provides protection against mumps and rubella.
Kennedy, an avowed vaccine skeptic helming the Trump administration's response to a measles outbreak that has been steadily growing across the US, then undermined that conventional messaging by soon publishing another statement that lavished praise on a pair of unconventional practitioners who have eschewed the two-dose MMR shot in favor of vitamins and cod liver oil.
The comments from Hildebrand provided a glimpse into how Kennedy simply demurred on vaccines – rather than express a position on them – during his first visit to the center of an outbreak that as of Monday had claimed three lives.
When asked for comment on Monday, Kennedy's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not dispute Hildebrand's claims that the agency's leader was silent on Sunday about vaccines.
It instead provided a link to Kennedy's statement after the funeral, which read in part: 'My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with [their] community in their moment of grief.'
Public health experts have repeatedly said the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent deaths or serious illness from measles, a highly contagious respiratory disease.
Yet, during his brief interview on Monday, Hildebrand made clear that he stood by his skepticism of vaccines.
'I know it's not effective because some family members ended up getting the vaccine, and they got the measles way worse than some of my kids,' said Hildebrand, who is raising two other children with his wife, Eva. 'The vaccine was not effective.'
Medical professionals have long established that getting an illness one was vaccinated against does not mean the vaccination failed. Vaccines also work by reducing the severity of illness – and, in some cases, can prevent death – should people catch the sickness they were immunized against.
Daisy Hildebrand died last week at University medical center in Lubbock, Texas, about 80 miles (129km) away from her family's home in the rural community of Seminole. Her doctors attributed her death to what they described as 'measles pulmonary failure', noting that she was not MMR-vaccinated and had no reported underlying conditions, according to a statement from Texas's state health services department.
She was the second young child from Seminole to die from measles in about five weeks. Kayley Fehr, who was also not given the MMR vaccine, died aged six in February after contracting measles and being hospitalized in Lubbock.
An unvaccinated adult in Lea county, New Mexico, also died after contracting the measles.
Fehr was the first person in the US to die from measles since 2015. Measles had been declared eliminated from the US in 2000, but it has recently been spreading in undervaccinated communities.
Funeral services for Hildebrand and Fehr were held in the same Mennonite church in Seminole, which has a population of about 7,000, according to publicly available information. Many Mennonite communities – which tend to be close-knit – have historically been undervaccinated as they prioritize what they interpret to be medical freedom over vaccine mandates.
Children who get the MMR vaccine are typically given the first dose at 12-15 months. They usually get the second dose between ages four and six.
Respectively, the shots are 93% and 97% effective, says the US Centers for Diseases Control.
The west Texas county to which Seminole belongs, Gaines, has one of the highest vaccine exemption rates in the state. Around the time of Hildebrand's death, it had reported about 300 measles cases since January. That was more than 65% of the nearly 500 measles cases which had then been reported in Texas.
As of Friday, the US government was reporting more than 605 measles cases across 22 states for the year so far. At least 74 of those cases – roughly 12% – had led to hospitalizations.
Kansas, Ohio and Oklahoma joined Texas as well as New Mexico in having active measles outbreaks, defined as three or more cases, officials said.
The US reported 285 measles cases in all of 2024.
Experts have warned that the US's collective outbreak could continue for several more months, if not for about a year. They have also said the US should prepare for more measles-related deaths without a more aggressive response.
The US Senate's health committee has summoned Kennedy to testify before the group on Thursday. Despite Kennedy's well-documented vaccine skepticism, the Senate voted 52-48 to confirm him as the national health secretary.
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The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
The power of pulses: 15 easy, delicious ways to eat more life-changing legumes
Worried about rising food prices, your diet's carbon footprint or whether you're eating healthily enough? Believe it or not, there could be a magic bullet: pulses. According to a study by the University of Reading, published in the European Journal of Nutrition in March, adults who eat more pulses – dried beans, peas and lentils – have a higher intake of nutrients including fibre, folate and vitamins C and E; minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium; and a lower intake of saturated fat and sugar. Similar results have been found in American, Australian and Canadian research. The UK study also found that eating pulses was associated with a more sustainable diet. In her book, Pulse: Modern Recipes with Beans, Peas & Lentils, Eleanor Maidment explains that growing pulses has a positive effect on the environment. 'Many are 'nitrogen fixers', meaning they have the ability to convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a form that can be used in the soil, making it more fertile for other crops,' she writes. Justine Butler, the head of research at Viva!, says: 'The lowest-impact beef still creates six times the greenhouse gases and uses 36 times more land per gram of protein than peas.' Pulses are filling and good value but, say the Reading researchers, the typical British adult eats only about 15g a day, with the average household spending just £1.68 on pulses a week. UK guidelines state that 80g of pulses (about a third of a tin) counts as one of your five a day. The University of Reading study is part of the Raising the Pulse project, which aims to increase pulse consumption to improve public and planetary health. One of its strategies is adding fava bean (dried broad bean) flour to white bread – similar to a successful programme in Denmark using rye flour to increase wholegrain consumption. Prof Julie Lovegrove, the director of the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition at the University of Reading, says: 'These foods are not only nutritious but also incredibly versatile, affordable and sustainable.' If you want to start eating more pulses, here are 15 things you need to know. You don't have to cook pulses for hours. 'Don't be put off by the idea that you have to soak dried pulses in advance,' says Maidment. 'I am rarely organised enough to do so, but thankfully there's a huge range of jarred and canned varieties that require no prep and are hugely convenient. If you can afford to spend a bit more, then jarred varieties have the edge over canned in terms of flavour and texture. Brands such as Bold Bean Co, Brindisa or Belazu are consistently excellent.' But batch-cooking dried pulses is the best value. Jenny Chandler, the author of Super Pulses and Pulse, soaks and cooks a big pot of pulses once a week. 'You will finish up with well over double their volume – it's a really economical way to have a ready supply. They will keep in their cooking water for five days in the fridge and you can freeze any leftovers. Use them in salads, soups, purees, curries, stews and even puddings – they will become the bedrock of your cooking.' Pulses are for everyone. 'You do not have to be vegetarian or vegan to enjoy pulses – far from it,' says Maidment. 'We should all be eating more pulses. For instance, in a traybake, I'll use one chicken thigh per person instead of two, and add a can of chickpeas or butter beans. I often add a can of lentils to bolognese. You're still getting filling protein, but with the added benefits of gut-friendly fibre and numerous other minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.' They make meals go much further. 'Most pulses are relatively cheap and quite mild in taste, making them ideal for bulking out soups, stews and curries without affecting the original flavour,' says Maidment. 'You can often use different varieties interchangeably, depending on what you have to hand.' Chandler adds a handful of cooked pulses to all sorts of dishes. 'Throwing a few chickpeas or cannellini beans into a simple tomato sauce with pasta not only ups the nutritional profile, but also keeps you feeling full for much longer,' she says. Baked beans are just the beginning. 'By far the most eaten pulse in the UK is the haricot bean due to its starring role in tinned baked beans,' says Maidment. 'Butter beans, cannellini beans, black beans and kidney beans are also popular, but there is a huge variety of beans to try. For instance, flageolet beans are delicate, pale-green beans popular in French cooking – try them in a slow-braised lamb stew with garlic, thyme and white wine.' Chandler loves yin yang beans, AKA calypso or orca beans. 'These black and white beans are utterly beautiful and taste wonderful in chilli,' she says. But beans on toast still rules. 'My favourite pulse-based dish is garlicky beans and bitter greens on toast, topped with chilli oil,' says Joe Yonan, the author of Cool Beans. You can make (almost) anything with chickpeas. 'The chickpea is my favourite pulse, for its versatility,' says Yonan. 'It is the basis of hummus, the best dip on the planet. It's great in a coronation chickpea sandwich, and it holds its shape in salads and stews.' For a snack, Yonan mixes cooked chickpeas with olive oil and spices (such as za'atar, Chinese five spice, chaat masala or smoked paprika) and roasts them in the oven for an hour at 150C/300F. 'I then turn off the oven but leave them in there to completely cool – it dries them out and makes them really satisfyingly crunchy.' He also uses chickpea (AKA gram) flour to make farinata or socca, a savoury pancake; panisse (chickpea fries); and bhajis and pakoras. 'Sometimes I use it as a base for a sort of non-traditional, don't-tell-the-Italians pizza.' Lentils cook more quickly than most pulses. Red split lentils are especially quick, cooking in about 15 minutes. Lentils don't need soaking, but it does reduce the cooking time. Maidment likes to experiment with different dals. 'Regional Indian dals can be made with a range of lentils – yellow moong, black urad, chana dal – each bringing a slightly different flavour and texture,' says Maidment. But she also has a soft spot for tinned lentils. 'I often roast drained, tinned lentils with olive oil and crushed garlic to boost their flavour and add crispness before throwing them into a salad – perhaps ricotta and prosciutto, or chopped fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.' Pulses make delicious dips. 'Hummus is the classic, but you can blend most pulses into dips,' says Maidment. 'Fava, a fabulous Greek split yellow pea dip, is absolutely worth making.' Blend cooked split yellow peas with caramelised onions and garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and a little of the beans' cooking liquor or water to make. Pulse liquid has many uses. 'Jarred and canned pulses are usually stored in a liquid known as aquafaba,' says Maidment. 'It can be great for adding creaminess to savoury dishes or used as an egg alternative in baking.' She advises checking the salt levels and ingredients list before using – some pulses have added preserving and firming agents. Black beans make the best veggie burgers, says Yonan. The Guardian's Meera Sodha agrees. She mashes a drained tin of black beans with breadcrumbs, garlic and onion powders, chipotle paste, dijon mustard, tomato ketchup and a splash of aquafaba, shapes them into patties, then fries them in olive oil until crispy. British pulses are having a revival. Maidment and Chandler both recommend carlin peas, pleasingly also known as black badgers, which are a heritage British pulse. They are available dried and cooked from companies such as Hodmedod's. 'They're small, nutty brown peas, and make a great alternative to chickpeas, with a similarly impressive nutrient profile,' says Maidment. She roasts cooked carlin peas until crispy, then adds them to salads such as quinoa, broccoli and halloumi. Chandler uses them in dips and curries, and to make a version of refried beans. 'They're much more versatile than yellow or green dried peas as they don't have such a pronounced 'pea' flavour,' she says. In the US, Yonan suggests the lady pea, a spherical white bean that is popular in southern cuisine. Pulses make great protein shakes. 'A handful of cooked pulses added into a smoothie will give it a great creamy texture and make it more nourishing,' says Chandler. She adds black beans or borlotti beans to dark berry smoothies, and chickpeas, cannellini beans or butter beans to green smoothies. Pulse-based pasta is worth a try. There is an increasing range of high-fibre pasta made from pulse flour: peas, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, mung beans … Chandler enjoys this alternative pasta, but says she doesn't use it in classical Italian dishes: 'I may use it in a pasta salad, say, or team it with a blue cheese and walnut sauce.' Yonan agrees that pulse pasta is best paired with 'pungent flavours – super-garlicky or spicy'. Pulses aren't just for savoury dishes. Yonan makes a chocolate and chickpea tart, and adds adzuki beans to brownies. 'Adzuki beans are used in a lot of Asian desserts, such as mochi and ice-cream,' he says. Maidment prefers to use kidney beans in her brownies, while Chandler has a recipe for a simple chocolate and cannellini bean mousse. Drain and retain the liquid from a tin of cannellini beans. Blitz the beans with 150g of melted dark chocolate and an optional tablespoon of cocoa powder. Whisk the liquid for five to 10 minutes, until frothy. Fold into the melted chocolate and bean mix, and sweeten with a couple of tablespoons of maple or date syrup. Chill the mix before eating, perhaps topped with some chopped stem ginger in syrup, or served with fresh raspberries. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
BreakingNews.ie
9 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
More than third of women playing football and camogie experience urinary leakage
More than one third of women playing Gaelic football and camogie experience urinary leakage during training and match play, research has found. Urinary leakage – a form of incontinence – remains a hidden struggle for many female athletes, largely due to embarrassment and stigma, a report found. Advertisement Dublin City University's research, published in Science and Medicine in Football, explores how menstrual cycle-related symptoms, hormonal contraceptive use, and indicators of pelvic floor dysfunction affect players of ladies Gaelic football and camogie. Among players not using hormonal contraceptives, 97.7 per cent reported menstrual cycle–related symptoms, most commonly abdominal cramping (84 per cent) and fatigue (82.2 per cent). Around 85 per cent believe their menstrual cycle affects onfield performance, with 59 per cent indicating a negative impact. Dr David Nolan (DCU/PA) Approximately 37 per cent of athletes experienced urinary leakage during training or matches, suggesting potential pelvic floor concerns. A high proportion also experience urinary urgency (47.8 per cent) and genital pain (43.4 per cent). Advertisement Dr David Nolan, assistant professor of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the DCU School of Health and Human Performance, said urinary leakage is a current taboo in women's sports. He said: 'There's more and more data being gathered, more studies coming out showing that active young sports women are experiencing urinary leakage at a significant rate, very high prevalence in gymnastics, in strength sports. 'But now in field sports, you get more data that it's affecting up to one third of our players. 'From working in female sport myself, I knew there was a prevalence of it, but I didn't expect it to be that high. This is probably the issue of why it's not spoken about more, and why players probably don't speak about it as much as they themselves probably don't realise that it's as commonplace. Advertisement 'If they think that it's something that's not affecting their teammates as much as them, they're probably less likely to speak because they don't know how common it actually is.' He added: 'The common symptoms are the urinary leakage, then urinary urgency, so the strong desire to go to the bathroom. You can have prolapse within the vagina, and then you can have anal incontinence linked to it. 'The most common symptoms, though, would be the urine leakage and the urinary urgency. The sad and frustrating thing about them suffering in silence is with physiotherapy and just exercise interventions, we can significantly reduce those symptoms.' He said the effects can lead to women dropping out of their sport. Advertisement He added: 'We do have evidence to show that it's linked to drop out in sport and again, because there can be potential shame or stigma around it and a source of embarrassment. 'So players might, in extreme cases, drop out of sports, or be less motivated to train. It can occur mostly in high impact, high kind of stress sports and performance – so they might be hesitant to push themselves hard or to engage in intense activities for fear of of this embarrassment.' The new peer-reviewed study of ladies' Gaelic footballers and camogie players in Ireland has thrown new light on the issue. Some 455 female Gaelic games athletes across both club and inter-county level were surveyed. Advertisement The study asked players about their menstrual cycles, use of hormonal contraceptives, like the contraceptive pill, and any pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms. Firstly, the survey confirmed that menstrual-related symptoms are highly prevalent. Among players not using hormonal contraceptives, 97.7 per cent reported at least one menstrual-related symptom each month. The most common complaints were abdominal cramping (experienced by 84 per cent of players) and fatigue or low energy (82 per cent). Perhaps not surprisingly, a large proportion – about 59 per cent perceived a mostly negative impact on how they play, citing issues like pain, heavy bleeding, or sluggishness during certain cycle phases. The study also looked at hormonal contraceptives. Just over half of the Gaelic players (51.7 per cent) were on some form of hormonal contraception, with the pill by far the most popular choice (used by about 69 per cent). Some 62 per cent of the athletes using hormonal contraceptives reported side effects, including fatigue (37.2 per cent) and experiencing mood swings or low mood (35.0 per cent). About one in three contraceptive-users (31.6 per cent) even felt that their contraception was impacting their athletic performance. However, issues around the pelvic floor is an aspect of women's health that athletes and coaches rarely discuss, the research found. 'Pelvic floor dysfunction' is an umbrella term for problems like urinary incontinence (leakage), urgency (sudden intense need to go), or pelvic organ prolapse. The stereotype is that these issues only impact older women or those who have had children. In this research, the average age of players surveyed was just 23.6 years old, and most had likely never given birth as the average first-time mother in Ireland is 31.5. Despite this, a considerable number of these young athletes reported troubling pelvic floor symptoms. The authors behind the report recommend enhanced education and support for athletes, coaches, and support staff on menstrual health, contraceptives, and pelvic floor health – as well as individualised symptom management strategies, integrating physiological monitoring with athlete feedback.
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Officials warn the next opioid epidemic could come from substance sold at vape shops for less $10
Public health experts and officials have trained their sights on a new vape shop staple they fear could spur the next wave of the opioid epidemic. Department of Health and Human Services made a formal proposal to the DEA to classify 7-OH, a component of the pain reliever kratom, as a Schedule 1 substance, alongside heroin, LSD, and other drugs with no accepted medical use. While natural kratom contains only trace amounts of 7-OH, manufacturers have begun chemically isolating and concentrating it into a synthetic opioid-like drug estimated to be 10 to 13 times more potent than morphine. These ultra-potent extracts, often sold as gummies, shots and pills, now flood gas stations and vape shops with spotty age restrictions. FDA Commissioner Dr Marty Makary said: 'Vape stores are popping up in every neighborhood in America, and many are selling addictive products like concentrated 7-OH. After the last wave of the opioid epidemic, we cannot get caught flat-footed again.' The FDA's move was quickly followed by the Florida state attorney general James Uthmeier's decision to ban selling, having, or sharing 7-OH altogether, citing an 'immediate danger to the public health, safety and welfare.' The announcement makes Florida the first state to ban products containing 7-OH, which could set off a nationwide domino effect with more and more states following suit. 7-OH is a relative newcomer, and data on deaths are not well documented, but poison control center reports suggest it is growing rapidly more popular. The Pennsylvania Department of Health issued a warning earlier this month about it, noting 'increased call volume around both kratom and 7-OH consumption.' Pressed about 7-OH overdose risks, Makary cited scarce data and doctors' inability to identify it, while still calling the compound a 'killer,' far deadlier than plain kratom. The federal government has not tracked any deaths due to 7-OH specifically, though at least one has occurred. Matthew Torres, a 39-year-old Oregon carpenter, died from violent seizures in May 2021 after using kratom to manage chronic pain. His girlfriend found him foaming at the mouth at their Beavercreek home. The coroner ruled his death was caused by 'toxic effects of mitragynine (7-OH).' His mother Mary Torres is now pursuing a $10M wrongful death lawsuit against the smoke shop that sold it, alleging they failed to warn about risks. Jordan McKibban, 37, died in 2022 after consuming kratom powder purchased from an organic store, believing it to be a natural pain remedy. His death certificate listed 'toxic effects of mitragynine (kratom)' as the cause. Kratom has been used traditionally in Southeast Asia for centuries, and commercially sold in the US for decades as dried leaves or powders. Many states have different laws about the sale of kratom, limiting it to people either 18 and up or 21 and up. No federal age restrictions exist for 7-OH sales. Enforcement relies entirely on individual businesses. Most vendors voluntarily require ID for customers to confirm they are 18 and up or 21 and up, but this isn't mandated by law. 'We're not targeting the kratom leaf or ground-up kratom,' Makary said. 'We are targeting a concentrated synthetic byproduct that is an opioid.' While 7-OH is naturally present in small amounts from 0.6 percent to 0.7 percent on average in kratom leaves, modern extraction techniques have made it possible to create highly concentrated products, including shots, pills, and gummies. 7-OH tablets, for example, are pre-measured dosage forms containing concentrated amounts of the compound, typically ranging from 5mg to 22mg per tablet. An FDA-led report on 7-OH cited mounting research showing the extract acts like an opioid, hijacking the same brain receptors as morphine or prescription painkillers. In multiple experiments, 7-OH triggered strong 'mu-opioid' effects, the same pathway targeted by drugs like oxycodone, often with 13 times the potency of morphine and nearly double the strength of kratom's primary compound, mitragynine. When tested on cells and animal tissue, 7-OH behaved like a full opioid agonist, meaning it does not just mildly activate these receptors; it switches them on entirely, setting the stage for repeat, problem use in the future. The FDA's report added that 7-OH's effects were reversed with the anti-overdose nasal spray naloxone. Florida AG Uthmeier cited the FDA's findings in his decision to schedule the substance. He said: 'We are taking emergency action now because we see immediate danger. Last week the FDA commissioner issued a warning about 7-OH, putting people on notice to the dangers, calling on states to observe and take action where necessary. 'So here in Florida, we are not going to rest on our laurels. We move fast. We want to help lead the way when it comes to public safety.' By designating the potent kratom extracts as Schedule I drugs, the state now ranks them alongside heroin, LSD, and illegal fentanyl, deeming them equally dangerous with zero medical value. The emergency rule grants law enforcement and regulators immediate authority to raid gas stations and smoke shops statewide, seizing the products. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, appearing alongside Uthmeier, told business owners to 'get it off your shelves.' 'We are going to be very aggressive,' he added. Makary, in turn, celebrated Uthmeier's decision in 'fighting back and educating Floridian parents, law enforcement professionals, teachers and community leaders about this threat to public health.' He added: 'I encourage other states to act now and use common sense regulation to safeguard the well-being of our youth and Make America Healthy Again.' Florida's decision to explicitly ban 7-OH is unprecedented, though several other states, including Colorado, Mississippi, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah have different restrictions on the concentration of 7-OH in the products. 'I am very supportive of people seeking alternatives outside of traditional Western medicine for wellness,' Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said. 'Our problem here is not with kratom. The problem today is with 7-OH. We don't need any more substances that disconnect people from reality.'
