Canadian doctors and scientists say Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s firing of an immunization advisory committee south of the border is worrisome.
On Monday, the U.S. health and human services secretary — a longtime anti-vaccine advocate — said he will appoint new members to the scientific group that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccination.
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, said Tuesday that the move will foster more false anti-vaccine beliefs, not only in the U.S. but also in Canada.
“It creates a culture in which anti-vaxx beliefs are more accepted and challenged a lot less. And also it creates an environment where there’s an alternative to an evidence-based recommendation framework,” she said.
Even though Kennedy’s new appointments will make vaccine recommendations specific to the United States, any disinformation could also feed vaccine hesitancy among Canadians, Rasmussen said.
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“We have a lot of the same anti-vaxx sentiment up here. Certainly this will …