Polio is eradicated in Canada. Will vaccine skepticism usher in a return? – National [Video]

Polio, a highly contagious viral infection that can cause paralysis and death, has been eradicated in Canada for decades thanks to widespread vaccination efforts.

However, recent comments — including from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his lawyer — are amplifying claims questioning the safety of vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella, as well as polio.

Both have been used safely for decades around the world by millions of people.

Aaron Siri, a lawyer advising Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in 2022 asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke its approval of the current polio vaccine, but the petition gained renewed attention over recent weeks after Kennedy was named as Trump’s health secretary pick.

In the petition letter, Siri urged the FDA to withdraw or suspend the polio vaccine, alleging that its original clinical trials lacked control groups and monitored long-term safety, thereby failing to meet federal safety standards

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