RFK Jr.: U.S. Measles Cases Less Severe Than in Other Countries

( https://smarthealthradar2025.blogspot.com/ — On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the Trump administration’s handling of the nation's measles outbreak and drew comparisons between the statistics related to this issue and those associated with autism diagnoses.

"We're performing better at controlling our measles outbreak in this nation compared to most others experiencing similar issues," he stated. "Currently, we have around 842 cases. In Canada, which has approximately an eighth of our population, they also report roughly the same number. Meanwhile, Europe sees ten times as many cases. The figures here have stabilized," according to Kennedy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that the number of confirmed measles cases stands at 884, which is more than three times higher than the total recorded throughout all of last year. The ongoing outbreak in Texas, now spanning three months, makes up most of these cases, with 663 confirmed as of Tuesday.

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Kennedy contrasted the tally of measles fatalities with the count of documented autism diagnoses in the United States.

We've recorded four measles-related fatalities in this nation over the past two decades," Kennedy stated. "Additionally, we see approximately 100,000 new autism cases each year.

Kennedy has frequently espoused the debunked claim that vaccines lead to autism.

Measles is triggered by a very infectious virus that travels through the air and can spread readily when an infected individual exhales, sneezes, or coughs. This illness can be prevented with vaccinations, and it was declared eradicated in the U.S. as of year 2000.

Kennedy's assertion that autism cases in the U.S. have increased holds merit; however, experts advise against directly linking these occurrences to specific environmental factors.

In the 20th century, only one out of every 10,000 children received an autism diagnosis; at this time, such diagnoses were uncommon and typically applied exclusively to youngsters facing significant challenges with communication or social interaction, along with exhibiting odd, repetitive actions. However, over time, the concept evolved into a broad category encompassing various mild, associated conditions referred to as "autism spectrum disorders." Consequently, there has been a notable increase in the count of children identified as possessing some variant of autism.

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Kennedy asserted that the U.S. would be "allocating $1 million annually for autism" by the year 2035.

"Back in 1970, autism affected about one out of every 10,000 people in America," he stated. "Nowadays, it's estimated at one in 31 individuals. Within California, the statistics show that approximately one child out of every 20 has autism, with an even higher rate among boys—about one for every 12.5." He emphasized that this should be receiving more attention from the media but isn’t.

Public health authorities mostly attribute the rising figures of autism to improved detection of instances, facilitated by more extensive screenings and enhanced diagnostic methods. The CDC reported last week that the diagnosis rate has increased to one in every 31 kids.

Autism cannot be detected through blood tests or biological markers; instead, it is identified based on observations of a child’s behaviors. Studies have explored numerous potential factors such as genetic influences, paternal age, maternal weight, and environmental toxins.

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