This NY times article clams that Rober F. Kennedy jr. and his organisation, the Children's health defense, have undermined public health policy around the world.
The New York Times is a widely respected publication that is generally accurate for basic information. The article cited was written by several reporters including one investigative reporter, two international reporters and a freelance reporter. It would be nice if someone with public health expertise helped write this article, however Harvard Public Health also published similar information indicating that the article is accurate.
Kennedy has made many untrue statements about public health including clams that antidepressants are more addictive than heroin, that vaccines are not safe, and that AIDS is not caused by the HIV virus. (NPR) (Antidepressants) His organisation has such a large platform that any incorrect statement they make will effectively undermine public health due to the sheer number of people they can reach.
In 2019, a Samoan nurse accidentally gave two children expired muscle relaxant in a routine vaccination, killing them. This sparked concern about the safety of vaccines. Kennedy, who was already a well known anti-vaccine activist used that opportunity to discourage the use of vaccinations in Samoa. As soon as vaccination rates slowed, there was a huge measles outbreak that killed eighty three people. (Harvard)
At the time, Kennedy was acting as the head of his organisation, the Children’s Health Defense, the aim of which is to “restore and protect the health of children by eliminating environmental exposures.”(CHD Mission Statement) This sounds great in theory, but in practice they mostly advocate against life saving vaccinations (NIH), and discredit the World Health Oorganization on the international stage. CHD's most recent international events were directed towards Africa and the U.K.They are quite active in the United States as well. The world health organization responds to public health crisis such as Ebola and Mpox, providing services that prevent and mitigate harm casued by public health crisis. By denouncing the WHO and vaccinations, RFK Jr and his organization are effectively undermining current public health policy.
Sources:
NPR Antidepressants https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/01/30/nx-s1-5281164/antidepressants-ssris-rfk-jr-heroin
NPR RFK Jr https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/01/28/nx-s1-5276378/rfk-hhs-senate-vaccine-7-things
BBC RFK Jr https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mzk2y41zvo
BBC WHO https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c391j738rm3o
NIH https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10492612/
CHD mission https://childrenshealthdefense.org/about-us/childrens-health-defense-mission/
CHD vaccine https://childrenshealthdefense.org/vaccine-curriculum/,
Harvard Public Health: https://harvardpublichealth.org/policy-practice/elias-zerhouni-and-tom-frieden-on-public-health-under-rfk-jr/
