US Health secretary Kennedy revives misleading claims of 'fetal debris' in measles shots

By Ahmed Aboulenein and Nancy Lapid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. wellness caput Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reprised assorted misleading claims astir vaccines this week, including that the measles vaccine contains cells from aborted fetuses and the mumps vaccination does not work.

Kennedy's comments travel arsenic the U.S. battles 1 of its worst outbreaks of measles successful 25 years. Scientists person warned that the U.S. is astatine a tipping constituent for the instrumentality of endemic measles, declared eradicated nationally successful 2000, and accidental U.S. nationalist wellness officials similar Kennedy should supply urgent endorsement for highly effectual vaccines.

Two children person died and hundreds much person been infected successful the outbreak successful Texas, which is centered successful a Mennonite assemblage and has dispersed to neighboring states, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Kennedy, who became the nation's apical wellness authoritative successful February, has for decades helped sow doubts regarding the information and efficacy of vaccines, contributing to a diminution successful vaccination rates.

Kennedy says helium is not opposed to vaccines, but has begun to revive immoderate of the unproven oregon debunked theories helium promoted arsenic a lawyer and nationalist figure, present from his perch astatine the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

"There are populations successful our country, similar the Mennonites successful Texas, (who) were astir afflicted, and they person spiritual objections to the vaccination, due to the fact that the MMR vaccine contains a batch of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles, truthful they don't privation to instrumentality it," helium said successful a News Nation interrogation connected Wednesday.

Kennedy was referring to the combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine. The vaccines bash not incorporate "fetal debris" from abortions oregon intact fetal cells, vaccine experts said.

The rubella information of the vaccine is produced from a fetal compartment enactment originating from an termination that took spot successful the 1960s. The MMR vaccine does not incorporate the cells successful its last form.

The cells are derived from fetal cells that person been replicated implicit decades successful trial tubes successful laboratory settings, thousands of times removed from the archetypal ones.

"The microorganism is grown successful these cells, past this microorganism is purified, meaning everything different than the microorganism is filtered out, and each that's near is this attenuated microorganism that can't marque you sick," said Dr. Miriam Laufer, Interim Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health astatine the University of Maryland.

According to a information expanse connected however vaccines are made from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia astatine the University of Pennsylvania, the magnitude of DNA progressive successful last vaccine mentation is minimal; billionths oregon trillionths of a gram.

"While the last vaccines bash not incorporate intact fetal cells, they whitethorn incorporate hint amounts of cell-derived materials, specified arsenic fragments of DNA," said Dr. Paulo Verardi, Professor of Virology and Vaccinology and the University of Connecticut.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a petition for comment.

Kennedy besides said this week that the mumps information of the vaccine does not enactment and that determination were information concerns implicit it.

"The occupation is truly with the mumps information of the vaccine and the combination. That operation was ne'er information tested," helium said connected Monday astatine a unrecorded televised municipality hallway lawsuit hosted by TV big Dr. Phil.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine supply astir 86% extortion against mumps, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While it is existent that vaccine extortion tin wane implicit time, the complaint varies depending connected the illness and vaccine, Verardi and different vaccine experts said.

"For mumps successful particular, immunity tin decline, truthful adults vaccinated successful puerility whitethorn go susceptible again. Still, vaccinated individuals mostly acquisition a milder unwellness if infected, which is inactive a cardinal payment of vaccination," helium said.

(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein successful Washington and Nancy Lapid successful Tucson; Additional reporting by Julie Steenhuysen successful Chicago; Editing by Caroline Humer and Stephen Coates)