Summary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claim that he “had nothing to do with people not vaccinating in Samoa” during the 2019 measles epidemic is not credible.
While a 2018 vaccine mishap and subsequent pause primarily caused low vaccination rates, Kennedy’s engagement with the Samoan government, his promotion of anti-vaccine influencers, and his amplification of misinformation contributed to vaccine hesitancy.
The epidemic caused 83 deaths, primarily among children, with a mortality rate over 1%.
Kennedy has since downplayed his role, despite evidence of his involvement in anti-vaccine advocacy.
John Oliver did a segment on him too. The thing that pisses me off most about RFK Jr is his use of a child’s untimely death to imply COVID vaccines caused his death (when the kid wasn’t even vaccinated against COVID). Shit like that is torturous to parents and as a parent it makes me livid.