WASHINGTON — Hawaii Gov. Josh Inexperienced (D) on Wednesday warned senators to not verify Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the subsequent well being and human providers secretary, sharing a darkish story about Kennedy fueling an anti-vaccine misinformation marketing campaign that Inexperienced mentioned led to dozens of kids dying in Samoa amid a measles outbreak.
“This is an absolute life-or-death decision that the Senate … and frankly the incoming president is poised to make over our future,” Inexperienced, who can also be a doctor, mentioned at a Capitol Hill press convention with different lawmakers who’re medical professionals.
The governor traveled to Washington this week particularly to fulfill with Republican and Democratic senators to induce them to oppose Kennedy’s nomination — the identical week Kennedy is on Capitol Hill making his case to Democratic senators about why they need to help him.
Inexperienced is hoping to take partisanship out of Kennedy’s nomination and get senators in each main political events centered on the necessity of getting a public well being skilled main the nation’s prime well being company.
He’s providing his perspective on a well known “tragedy” that passed off in Samoa in 2019, after two kids died on account of human error on the a part of nurses administering their vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella. The error led to some individuals shedding confidence in vaccines, and proper round this time, Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccination activist, visited the Pacific island state and campaigned in opposition to vaccines on social media.
“A celebrity with no public health experience named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went to Samoa, met with the prime minister, met with the secretary of health,” mentioned Inexperienced. “He discouraged them from vaccinating. And what happens when you discourage individuals from vaccinating? When they’re afraid, a lot of them refuse to get vaccinated.”
As Kennedy pushed his anti-vaccination marketing campaign — which Inexperienced has referred to as disinformation — the inoculation price plummeted to 31% and the measles virus unfold. Samoan leaders requested the Hawaii governor for assist, so he went to their island with dozens of well being care suppliers to assist vaccinate as many individuals as potential. By this time, there have been roughly 5,000 confirmed circumstances of measles, Inexperienced mentioned, and the outbreak would result in greater than 80 deaths, most of them amongst kids.
“This is no joke when you see pictures of a child with measles, when there are no hospitals around, when there are no ventilators to keep them alive,” mentioned the Hawaii governor. “We witnessed a child literally dying in front of us, just moments as we came into the village. … She was still warm when I put my hands on her face.”
In the end, Inexperienced and different medical professionals helped vaccinate 37,000 individuals all through the nation. They staved off extra deaths, however he mentioned 1000’s of individuals suffered and numerous others possible developed encephalopathy, a situation that may trigger irritation within the nervous system that may result in listening to loss, blindness or mental incapacity.
On the time, Kennedy blamed the handfuls of measles deaths on the vaccine itself. There was no proof for his declare.
“This would not have been necessary, if not for an interloper named Robert F. Kennedy,” Inexperienced mentioned Wednesday. “He stopped a week after we did the vaccination program.”
Inexperienced urged President-elect Donald Trump to rethink Kennedy’s nomination and as an alternative think about him for a special put up. “There may be a very good place for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” he mentioned. “This is not partisan. This is not political. This is medical.”
Inexperienced’s press occasion was hosted by Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), who’s a pediatrician. She mentioned she’s met with numerous dad and mom anxious concerning the security of vaccines due to misinformation being unfold by individuals like Kennedy.
“Sowing needless doubt in the minds of parents and the citizens of this country should disqualify Robert Kennedy Jr. from this job,” mentioned Schrier. “Make no mistake: Stoking vaccine hesitancy will lead to deaths.”
A spokesperson for Trump’s presidential transition crew didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Inexperienced advised HuffPost that he’s assembly with 10 senators throughout his go to to Capitol Hill. He didn’t identify names, however prompt all are presumably versatile votes and that one particular person he’s very all in favour of speaking to is Sen. Invoice Cassidy (R-La.), who’s a doctor.
“I have a great deal of respect for Sen. Cassidy,” mentioned Inexperienced. “I really admire his position on vaccinations. This has been central to his life as a trained physician.”
He mentioned his hope is that the Louisiana Republican can “influence his colleagues” as a result of he understands the medical necessity of vaccines.
Cassidy, who’s the chair of the Senate Health, Schooling, Labor and Pensions Committee, met with Kennedy for an hour Wednesday. He advised HuffPost that that they had a “frank conversation,” however declined to say whether or not he’ll help his nomination.
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“He and I did not talk vaccines,” Cassidy mentioned. “We had a long list of other things we were talking about.”
Over the weekend, Cassidy mentioned in an interview with Fox Information that Kennedy is “wrong” about vaccines.
Igor Bobic and Arthur Delaney contributed reporting.
