The following post first appeared on FactCheck.org.
Sen. Rand Paul gave false and misleading statements about vaccine safety in two separate interviews, including a claim that “many” children have developed “profound mental disorders” after vaccinations.
There is no evidence that any currently recommended vaccine causes brain damage or other mental disorders in otherwise healthy children. Severe reactions do occur but are extremely rare.
Vaccine safety has become a central topic in recent weeks as a measles outbreak that began at Disneyland in California has spread. Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 102 people had confirmed cases of measles, a disease that the CDC declared “eliminated” from the United States in 2000 because of the highly effective vaccine. In recent years, a small but growing number of parents have avoided the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine because of fears related to debunked and fraudulent science.
Paul, a Republican from Kentucky who is considering a 2016 presidential bid and who also formerly was a practicing physician, said on CNBC that vaccines could cause serious problems in children.
–
Schuchat, Jan. 29: In 2013, about 145,700 people died of measles across the world. … One in 12 children in the United States is not receiving their first dose of MMR on time.
She also noted that the MMR vaccine is safe, effective and “highly recommended.” But a small percentage of parents use religious and “philosophical” exemptions to avoid vaccinations; for example, in California, where the newest measles outbreak began, in the 2013-2014 school year, 17,253 children (3.1 percent of all children enrolled in kindergarten) received philosophical exemptions.
A spokesman from Paul’s office said in an email that the senator “believes that vaccines have saved lives, and should be administered to children. … He also believes many vaccines should be voluntary and like most medical decisions, between the doctor and the patient, not the government.”
– Dave Levitan
