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.

  • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
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    12 minutes 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?

    • sfu@lemm.ee
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      9 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.

      • VanillaFrosty@lemmy.world
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        38 minutes 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.

      • amateurcrastinator@lemmy.world
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        30 minutes 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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        3 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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          1 hour 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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            15 minutes 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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        6 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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    10 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 the draw.

    • Robbity@lemm.ee
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      9 hours ago

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

    • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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      9 hours ago

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

    • HungryJerboa@lemmy.ca
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      2 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.

      • peregrin5@lemm.ee
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        1 day ago

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

        • spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          1 day ago

          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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            2 days ago

            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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      1 day ago

      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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        11 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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    2 days ago

    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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      1 day ago

      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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      1 day 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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        1 day 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.