Why experts are concerned about the vaccine study cited by RFK Jr.

13 hours ago

RFK Jr. stunned nan world wellness world erstwhile he said nan U.S. would halt backing nan group that helps supply vaccines to galore low-income countries. The study he cited is seen by others arsenic dubious.

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The Trump management has trim galore world wellness programs. One trim stands retired to immoderate experts. Gavi, nan Vaccine Alliance provides immunizations for immoderate of nan world's poorest children. It won't beryllium getting complete a cardinal dollars successful promised U.S. funding. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says Gavi doesn't see vaccine safety. NPR's Gabrielle Emanuel reports this stunned nan world wellness world.

GABRIELLE EMANUEL, BYLINE: And what angered galore of them was nan logic he gave for attacking nan organization's information record. RFK Jr. singled retired a study from 2017. He called it a landmark study that he says proves 1 of nan world's astir communal vaccines could beryllium dangerous. He delivered his remarks successful a video to nan organization.

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ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: The authors of this study were 5 internationally revered deities of vaccine research.

EMANUEL: One of those authors is simply a interrogator named Christine Stabell Benn. She looked astatine nan DTP vaccine that's fixed to nan immense mostly of nan world's children. It protects them against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Stabell Benn says it's bully astatine protecting them against these 3 deadly diseases, but...

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CHRISTINE STABELL BENN: We started doing what cipher other had done earlier us. We evaluated nan effect of vaccines connected wide health.

EMANUEL: Overall health, meaning, could this vaccine possibly make you much apt to dice of different causes? To find out, Stabell Benn and her squad looked done wellness records for astir a 1000 kids. The records came from nan early '80s successful nan West African state of Guinea-Bissau. Stabell Benn didn't respond to question and reply requests, but present she is speaking astatine a TEDx Talk from 2019.

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STABELL BENN: And nan results were scary. Children who received DTP vaccine had 5 times higher consequence of dying than those who didn't.

EMANUEL: A scary thought, yes, but extracurricular researchers for illustration Beate Kampmann aren't buying it.

BEATE KAMPMANN: It's conscionable mendacious news, right?

EMANUEL: She's astatine nan London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She has a agelong database of concerns astir nan study.

KAMPMANN: That study is based connected ancient data. It is an study study. Statistics are dodgy.

EMANUEL: And, Kampmann says, a fewer years later, those aforesaid researchers themselves repeated nan study and recovered wholly different results. The kids who sewage nan DTP vaccine this clip were not much apt to die. Kampmann says, connected apical of each this, that original study isn't moreover applicable because nan DTP vaccines fixed coming are different than nan shots fixed successful nan '80s.

KAMPMANN: The look has changed, and nan full accumulation of nan process is different arsenic well.

EMANUEL: Kampmann's not nan only 1 who is skeptical. The World Health Organization has brought together independent panels of experts to analyse this issue. As a result, caller studies were commissioned, and aggregate times complete nan past 20 years nan panels person concluded nan existent proposal - that everyone gets a DTP vaccine - is nan correct one. Kate O'Brien is nan WHO's apical vaccine expert. She says billions of group person received nan DTP vaccine.

KATE O'BRIEN: This vaccine has been utilized for complete 50 years. We person decades and decades of information accusation connected DTP.

EMANUEL: If this vaccine is not given, she says...

O'BRIEN: We will origin harm. It will consequence successful deaths.

EMANUEL: NPR sent HHS a database of concerns raised by extracurricular vaccinologists. The HHS spokesperson did not respond to nan concerns but said Gavi must re-earn nationalist trust. Many successful nan aesculapian constitution person condemned nan U.S. for pulling its backing for world vaccination efforts.

PAUL OFFIT: It's conscionable a travesty.

EMANUEL: Paul Offit directs nan Vaccine Education Center astatine nan Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

OFFIT: There is astir apt nary amended nationalist wellness organization, and, frankly, much economical nationalist wellness organization, than Gavi.

EMANUEL: He says RFK Jr. utilized shoddy grounds to make a large decision. Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR News.

Accuracy and readiness of NPR transcripts whitethorn vary. Transcript matter whitethorn beryllium revised to correct errors aliases lucifer updates to audio. Audio connected npr.org whitethorn beryllium edited aft its original broadcast aliases publication. The charismatic grounds of NPR’s programming is nan audio record.