Day 13: Make Polio Great Again
RFK Takes Trump Down the Rabbit Hole
Day 13 — December 13, 2024
Arguably the most successful part of Trump’s first term was Operation Warp Speed—the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines that Trump happily took great credit for late in his fist term.
More broadly, humans did few things more effectively over the past century than develop and disseminate vaccines for a wide variety of ailments and diseases:
A World Health Organization study released this year found that not only have global immunization efforts “saved an estimated 154 million lives over the past 50 years,” but that “immunization is the single greatest contribution of any health intervention to ensuring babies not only see their first birthdays but continue leading healthy lives into adulthood.”
“For every death averted, 66 years of full health were gained on average, translating to 10·2 billion years of full health gained.” The study found that vaccination has “accounted for 40% of the observed decline in global infant mortality.”
No surprise, other studies have shown a strong correlation between a nation’s vaccine coverage and its life expectancy:
So, few things represent the bleaker prospects of Trump’s second term (compared to his first) than Trump himself doing a dramatic about-face on vaccines and immunization. And the past few days have made that reality clear.
Trump has nominated infamous anti-vax quack RFK Jr. to be the nation’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. RFK and a chief lawyer—who himself specializes in anti-vaccine lawsuits—are hard at work filling key government health posts. And it was revealed today that that same lawyer has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the vaccine that eradicated polio long ago.
Polio!
On the same day, as part of his Time Magazine “Person of the Year” interview, Trump said “he would consider altering childhood vaccination programs in the United States and questioned whether vaccines cause autism—a widely disproven claim.”
Trump indicated he would be consulting with RFK—have a “big discussion”—as he makes his decisions. When asked if that meant the end of some childhood vaccine, he said “It could if I think it's dangerous…”
No word yet on Trump’s repeated campaign promise to end federal funding for schools with vaccine mandates.
It saddens & enrages me that Trump & RFK Jr might stop vaccinations against polio. I got polio in late 1939 at 11 months which caused partial paralysis in my right leg from the hip down resulting in my leg shortened 1 1/2" & wearing a brace up to knee until I had my ankle fused at 17 courtesy of the old March of Dimes (my parents were destitute Dust Bowl migrants from Oklahoma).
Of the thousands who got polio at that time I was relatively lucky not to wind up on crutches or in an iron lung facing a short brutal life. Then, less than 20 years later Dr Salk & his vaccine came along, wiping polio out. Period. A fact, not internet BS. Craziness is abroad.
David – great title! You say it all! Almost 500,000 people died unnecessarily from Covid under Trump‘s horrendous “leadership.“ The horrors that will have to happen to convince the American public, who regrettably, in the majority voted for him again will be much, much worse. It is heartbreaking, completely unnecessary, and defies all logic, except the logic of misogyny and white supremacism. The largely male, largely white, Trump voters, with an assist from white women (53%) and Latino/Hispanic men (51%), traded competency, democracy, and that entails, including environmental protections, health care, freedom of the press, and the rule of law, so that we could be governed by a “strong man“ who represents white supremacy and misogyny. He won by a slim margin, many people will suffer, and many people will die. Hopefully, we can flip Congress in 2026, and stop the bleeding, retake the White House in 2028, and address the various disasters that the Trump administration created. Same old story: Republicans destroy, Democrats fix their mess, voters blame the Democrats for the mess, and reelect Republicans.