Dr. Deborah Birx, former White House coronavirus response coordinator who served in President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration, said she’s “excited” for the public health discussions that will take place during Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
When asked about his position on vaccines and his pledge to bring transparency about them to the American public, “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan said she wasn’t sure what he meant by that and asked why Birx believes the nation is seeing a decline in vaccination rates.
“I think there’s two pieces to it," Birx began. "I think when we talk about things in public health, we don't acknowledge the concerns because when my children went to school, there was maybe one in 1,000 kids with autism, diagnosed autisms. Now it's three per 100. So, every mom is seeing a classroom of kindergarteners where one of the children has autism. That's scary to moms and dads. They want to know why. So, it's not good enough for us to just say, vaccines don't cause autism, it's us finding what is the cause of autism and reverse it."
Brennan told viewers there's no scientific link at this point between vaccines and autism, and Birx confirmed that point, though Kennedy believes otherwise.
But Birx said that's why she believes the conversation is so important.
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"So that's why, when he talks about transparency, I'm actually excited that in a Senate hearing he would bring forward his data and the questions that come from the senators would bring forth their data," she said.
"What I know for sure is, he's a very smart man who can bring his data and his evidence base forward, and we can have a discussion that many Americans believe already is a problem," Birx continued. "So, until we can have that transparency and that open discussion from both sides, I know the members have incredible staffers who will bring great questions from their constituents, and that hearing would be a way for Americans to really see the data that you're talking about, that we can't see that causation right now. But what is causing it? And so you're absolutely right, addressing what the cause is will be critical."
Birx also discussed the role COVID played in Americans' growing skepticism about vaccines.
"I think what has confused people is we weren't clear about what Covid vaccines do and don't," she said. "And so now people are questioning, well, what do my child vaccines do and don't. And they don't understand that some of the vaccines that their children are getting protect them from both disease and create herd immunity, and some of them that they get are just for their child...to protect their child from getting very serious illness. And we're just not explaining all of this correctly."
Former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx says she is excited for RFK to look into vaccines and autism.
— End Tribalism in Politics (@EndTribalism) November 17, 2024
“Because when my children went to school, there was maybe 1 in a 1000 kids diagnosed autism. Now it's 3 per 100. So every mom is seeing a classroom… pic.twitter.com/L57RV4Jm2Z
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