STAT News reports:
President Trump’s absence in the national conversation about the measles outbreaks has prompted some debate in the public health community about whether he should be playing a more active role. For some observers, though, the question is not whether public officials should be supporting vaccinations, but rather whether a president who has previously spread false information linking vaccines and autism is the right messenger.
Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, has called out Trump publicly on his silence. “Every president since FDR has thrown themselves full bore behind this,” Zimmerman told STAT. That Trump has remained silent in the face of a large measles outbreak is “a radical departure from all of our precedents,” he said.
In reality, Trump’s silence may come as a relief to some vaccine proponents. Before becoming president, Trump publicly questioned vaccination strategies, insisting that the number of vaccines infants are given in the first couple of years of life were contributing to rising autism rates. Multiple studies have found no link between vaccines and autism.
Hit the link for a recounting of how previous presidents have reacted to similar health situations.
Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn’t feel good and changes – AUTISM. Many such cases!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2014