Summary

Texas hospitals are treating children with vitamin A poisoning linked to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s promotion of the supplement as a measles treatment.

At Covenant Children’s hospital in Lubbock, patients with measles showed abnormal liver function due to excessive vitamin A intake.

Kennedy, the U.S. health secretary, claimed vitamin A dramatically reduces measles mortality. Experts warn his messaging confuses parents and downplays the proven protection of the MMR vaccine.

The U.S. faces its worst measles outbreak in decades, with nearly 500 cases across 21 states and two confirmed deaths.

  • Wren@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    Can we just quarantine the entire state? Or just… I don’t know-

    Push it out into the ocean?

  • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
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    6 hours ago

    If parents and doctors aren’t getting in trouble for killing their kids with quack drugs, why are they getting in trouble for giving real medication when their “child” is still in the womb?

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Doctors aren’t giving the kids the Vitamin A, doctors are sounding the alarm that children are coming in with Vitamin A poisoning.

      • Critical_Thinker@lemm.ee
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        2 hours ago

        Sounds like a quick call to CPS is in order, if they are still around and haven’t been dumped by dumpy.

    • sfu@lemm.ee
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      15 hours ago

      People need the right to choose what medications they take. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be forced to take something you didn’t want to take.

      • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        Sure sure, but should parent be allowed to forego low-risk, high-efficacy medical advice to the long term detriment of their child’s and other children’s health? Children, who are unable to legally advocate for themselves…

      • VanillaFrosty@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        People don’t get the right to endanger our most vulnerable because they are stupid and religious.

        I guess I should say stupid or religious but I have a feeling the initial statement is correct.

        I agree with your other comment on not trusting insurance agencies though.

        • sfu@lemm.ee
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          2 hours ago

          Well, when the gov, and medical companies have been known in the past to lie about medical treatments, then every person should have the right to decide for themselves if they want to take a drug / vaccine / treatment / etc. I personally would rather trust my own judgement. If the gov, or a doctor, or drug company really thinks I need to take something, then they need to do their job better to convince me it’s safe.

          • Andonyx@lemmy.world
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            2 hours ago

            This statement is the poster child for why letting individuals use their own judgement on scientific data is such a crap idea.

            *Changed medical matters to scientific data.

          • Critical_Thinker@lemm.ee
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            2 hours ago

            Drug companies shouldn’t be in the equation of telling you what is best for you and your family medically.

            That should be left up to doctors.

          • Null User Object@lemmy.world
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            2 hours ago

            It’s not up to the experts to bend over backwards to convince you that a medication is safe and beneficial to yourself and to society. If they’ve convinced most of the population, but haven’t convinced you, then maybe you’re the problem. It’s your job to learn to distinguish between trained experts and quacks with an agenda, and listen to the experts, not the quacks.

      • sfu@lemm.ee
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        2 hours ago

        So to everyone who down voted my comment… I take it you would like to be forced to take something you didn’t want to take?

        • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          Yes. I would 100% enjoy mandatory vaccinations when those vaccines are standardized, well regulated, and proven to save countless lives. I want to be forced to take the shot, I want the person to my right to be forced, I want the person to my left to be forced.

          I want to save people from horrible death and lifelong disability. I want to eradicate diseases.

        • ifItWasUpToMe@lemmy.ca
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          1 hour ago

          If the thing has been proven time and time again to be a benefit for the entire society?

          Yes.

          Only someone clearly deranged and selfish would choose otherwise.

      • amateurcrastinator@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Why go to the doctors then? Just take whatever pink medicine your best friend/shaman/faith healer recommends and accept your fate. Why after choosing your medication and you and yours get fucked up, you rush to the hospital?

      • rockhard@lemm.ee
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        9 hours ago

        This would still respect choice while cutting back on the utilization of emergency services covered by insurance companies. It could lead to reduced costs and people who pay into insurance shouldn’t be forced to pay for the negative health outcomes of people who willingly flout preventative health measures. It drives up costs for everyone.

        • sfu@lemm.ee
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          7 hours ago

          Yeah I get what you are saying, but insurance companies already make decisions for patients regardless of what the patient’s doctor says they need. Insurance companies are not to be trusted with healthcare choices.

          • rockhard@lemm.ee
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            6 hours ago

            You don’t get what I’m saying. Insurance companies aren’t making the choice for consumers. Consumers refuse to take preventative health measures, that is the choice they make. Insurance in turn, refuses to provide coverage to them because they willingly cost them more in the long run. Medicare and Medicaid, what will be left of them, should also refuse to cover them. Let these consumers cover their own healthcare costs.

      • HamsterKiller666@lemm.ee
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        12 hours ago

        Well if the people that tell you what to take are the ones that you go to when you are Ill because you didn’t want to listen to them, they should be able to refuse you.

  • SuperCub@sh.itjust.works
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    3 hours ago

    Why are these people ok with isolated vitamin supplements (which are not natural), but not ok with a vaccine? I don’t understand the line they draw.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      “I don’t know what’s in the vaccine” is the dumbest excuse too. The information is available, and if you don’t trust the information, why would trust the label that tells you those pills are vitamin A. They could put anything in that pill with Vitamin A.

    • Robbity@lemm.ee
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      15 hours ago

      Because opinion is more important than fact, and choice is more important than logic.

    • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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      15 hours ago

      They’re contrarians and conspiracists. They will go with whatever the established authorities recommend against.

      • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        Add in just a pinch of traditionalists who think herbal supplements are better than modern medicine and that the human body is composed of 7 ancient energies capable of healing all wounds if you eat right, or some bullshit.

        • StopTouchingYourPhone@lemmy.world
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          59 minutes ago

          When everyone knows all you need to heal all wounds is to ingest 1 cup of school glue. You have to dry it on your hands and peel it off before eating it though - a lot of people get that wrong.

    • HungryJerboa@lemmy.ca
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      8 hours ago

      It’s time to bring RFK to schools with measles outbreaks. Let him personally reassure people that the vaccine is a choice.

      What, you’re worried about catching measles? Why the fuck would you?

  • IHeartBadCode@fedia.io
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    2 days ago

    Experts warn his messaging confuses parents and downplays the proven protection of the MMR vaccine

    Oh look RFK is getting people nearly killed. Who could have seen this coming?

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
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      2 days ago

      More importantly, look how no one is getting into trouble for endangering children.

      • Mandrilleren@lemmy.world
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        8 minutes ago

        Who would give him trouble? His boss rutinely hangs out with child abusers and could very well be one himself.

      • peregrin5@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        Republicans only care about children that aren’t born (i.e. aren’t children) yet.

        • spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          Republicans have never been ‘pro-life’, only pro-birth.

          Pre-natal? They care so, so much!

          Pre-school? You’re fucked (metaphorically and, depending on the republican, possibly literally - just ask ol’ Dennis)

        • orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          2 days ago

          Who so you think they were referring to? What’s with peoples’ inability to read subtlety or infer meaning these days?

          • snooggums@lemmy.world
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            There’s the people who nominated and approved him, plus everyone who continues to enable him. Also all of the other annti-vaxx and other shitheads who all get a free pass for spreading misinformation that harms children.

            They were clearly referring to a widespread problem of which captain brain worms is one example.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        When the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says to do a thing for your child’s health, how would you go about proving abuse? They’re literally following government “guidelines”.

        If these idiots kill their children out of ignorance and stupidity, power to 'em. I lost all empathy for idiots during COVID. No one can ask me to give a shit any longer. And yes, fuck their kids too. This is Darwinism in action. Let it ride.

  • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    We need to make suing government employees that make decisions easier. Things like discrimination for anyone that makes determinations for program eligibility, etc.

    And definitely cabinet positions when decisions clearly are in opposition to available research and lead directly to outcomes like this, where a direct correlation is not only obvious but even easily provable in court.

    Blanket Immunity to cover for incompetent government employees is complete bullshit and doesn’t serve the interests of the nation or it’s citizens at all.

    • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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      Yeah this is one of those suggestions that sounds great on the surface but will just completely break government. Every single decision will result in a lawsuit, and the only beneficiaries will be lawyers. The inability to sue the cabinet isnt the problem, it’s the degenerates the American people vote in there.

      There’s is no electoral system system and no regulation that can save voters from themselves.

      • Quadhammer@lemmy.world
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        17 hours ago

        Tsk, you needed grizzly bear taint.

        Simple fix. Boil 12 tangerines until the skin fall off then air fry the skin until crisp. Crush together in bowl with freshly plucked potatoe. Add some bone and broth, baby, you got a stew goin.

  • RobotToaster@mander.xyz
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    Parents overdose their kids on vitamin A, you can’t really blame RFK for them being stupid enough to give doses several orders of magnitude higher than the RDA.

    But then if they’re stupid enough to take health advice from RFK (or any politician, really), it’s a good example of correlation != Causation.

    • spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      can’t really blame RFK for them being stupid enough to give doses several orders of magnitude higher than the RDA.

      Yes you can. If an idiot in power uses their power to convince stupid people to hurt their children, the person in power is still responsible.

      But then if they’re stupid enough to take health advice from RFK (or any politician, really),

      Yeah, what kind of fucking moron takes health advice from checks notes the secretary of health and human services?

      Granted, you’re right in that people shouldn’t be listening to this specific director because he’s dumber than a bag of hammers, but saying people shouldn’t be listening to people in HHS (in general circumstances, not in this age of crazy pills) is as dumb as them listening to rfk.

    • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Yes I can. His messaging directly caused this, and he’s in a position of power and influence over people’s healthcare decisions.

      • Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 days ago

        The problem is these people don’t listen to health experts but for whatever reason they listened to this health expert. Clearly it’s not about his position of power but rather who they choose to listen to or not listen to.