Podcast Host / Narrator (likely Brittany Luce or NPR Host)
Appearances
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
I got one last question. What is the end goal for anti-vaxxers? I don't know. I guess I'm trying to understand what success would look like for them. I don't know.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
That's NPR Senior Science and Health Editor Aria Gadoy. And on April 6th, after visiting the family of a child who passed away from measles in West Texas, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a message on X, the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
Thank you both so much. I have learned so much in this conversation. Thank you. Thank you. That was NPR's Senior Science and Health Editor, Maria Godoy, and NBC News reporter, Brandi Zadrozny. This episode of It's Been a Minute was produced by Alexis Williams. This episode was edited by Nina Patak. Our supervising producer is Barton Girdwood. Our executive producer is Veralyn Williams.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
Our VP of programming is Yolanda Sanguini. All right. That's all for this episode of It's Been a Minute from NPR. I'm Brittany Luce. Talk soon.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
But even though the MMR vaccine, that is, measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, has been a life-changing medical achievement since it was introduced over 50 years ago, it has also been the target of rampant conspiracy theories for decades.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
That's NBC News senior reporter Brandi Zdrozny. And while this theory has been debunked, it's been the lightning rod for anti-vax groups since its inception. And one of the most prominent voices in this movement against vaccines was RFK Jr. himself.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
And he believed it. He went on to join the World Mercury Project, later renamed Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit that has become a prominent voice in the anti-vaccine movement. And while not affiliated with the organization anymore, he is advocating for the use of alternative medicines like vitamin A to treat measles.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
And even after RFK Jr. encouraged the use of the MMR vaccine, he later posted pictures with the families that lost their children and promoted two therapies, aerosolized budesonide and clarithromycin. Aerosolized budesonide is used for asthma, and the latter is an oral antibiotic, but neither of these are effective for treating measles.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. Have you or someone you love been confused by the push to make America healthy again? No. If that's the case, then you, my friend, are in dire need of our new series. The Road to Make America Healthy Again.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
This mixed messaging has come with pushback, not just from public health officials, but even from his vaccine skeptic, Make America Healthy Again constituents. Despite that, it doesn't reverse the damage anti-vaccine rhetoric has already done in these communities.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
So today... NPR's Senior Science and Health Editor, Maria Godoy, and NBC News Senior Reporter, Brandi Zadrozny. Join me to get into how anti-vax rhetoric has created a culture of vaccine hesitancy and how the resurgence of measles is a bigger indicator of what's to come.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
I was so heartbroken when I first learned about the child who died from measles in West Texas. I mean, not only is it just extremely tragic, but according to the World Health Organization, it was the first death in the But what really struck me was this video of the parents talking about their daughter's passing. The interview was conducted in English and German.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
And at one point, the German translator said that the parents would still advise against getting the vaccine. They also said measles are not as bad as they're making it out to be.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, and, you know, to your point, like, that is, you know, for so many parents, protecting their child is like their number one motivation. Yeah. What is so sticky about these kinds of stories or narratives for people who believe anti-vaccination rhetoric or for people who are vaccine hesitant? What's so sticky about them?
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
I also read that after their daughter passed away, their four other children also got measles, but were treated by a local alternative medicine doctor. Who is this doctor and what kinds of remedies did he recommend?
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
For the next few weeks, we're delving into some of the origins, conspiracy theories, and power grabs that have led us to this moment and what that could mean for our health.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
One of the things I get stuck on in this conversation is how so many parents are drawn to these anti-vaccine conspiracy theories out of a fear of their child being autistic. And There's a lot of ableism that we could get into with that. There's so much longstanding scientific evidence that not vaccinating your child against measles could also put them at risk for like serious disability.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
But also, most importantly, it can kill a child to not be vaccinated for measles. That logic to me doesn't fully add up. But I imagine, you know, as we've discussed, there's some strong motivation beneath that.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
And there's some vulnerability beneath that, that is causing so many parents to buy into these conspiracy theories, even though they seem to, at least in some contexts, be seriously afraid of their child being disabled. What's the logic there? for parents?
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
The Pit on Max is one of the breakout shows of the year, putting a magnifying glass on our complicated health care system. But its penultimate episode, which features an unvaccinated child with measles, hits closer to home as our country battles an ongoing measles outbreak.
It's Been a Minute
When adults reject vaccines, children pay the price
Yeah. Even though this story coming out of West Texas is particularly heartbreaking. Maria, I recently came across a quote from a pediatrician in Florida saying that their call center has been flooded with calls from parents who really want to get their kids vaccinated.