Quillette Podcast RFK Jr.’s Unprecedented Attack on Life-saving Vaccines
Sep 6, 2025
Jake Scott, a board-certified infectious diseases physician at Stanford, dives deep into the dangers of rolling back vaccinations and the resurgence of vaccine misinformation. He debunks myths linking vaccines to autism and explains the science behind mRNA technology. The conversation highlights misconceptions about vaccine effectiveness and explores innovative treatments for RSV. Scott also sheds light on the political maneuvers eroding trust in health policies, emphasizing the urgent need for accurate public health communication.
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Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism
- There is no link between vaccines and autism according to extensive evidence and reviews.
- The original Wakefield study was fraudulent and retracted, yet its influence persists decades later.
Thimerosal Removal Didn’t Cut Autism Rates
- Large cohort studies show no association between thimerosal and autism, and autism rates kept rising after thimerosal removal.
- This temporal pattern strongly contradicts thimerosal as a causal explanation.
Success Breeds Skepticism
- Vaccine opposition often follows a vaccine's success because people stop seeing the disease's harms.
- When diseases vanish, perceived vaccine risks become magnified relative to the threat.