U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. is now publicly spreading another debunked anti-vaccine hoax — that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine contains “aborted fetus debris.”
Brainworm Boi was trying to make the case on News Nation that there are religious exemptions holding people back, like the Mennonites in Texas, from taking the vaccine.
Brainworm Boi’s “fetus debris” comment suggests he has no idea how vaccines are made, despite being in charge of the federal agencies that regulate them.
The MMR vaccine works by introducing a weakened version of the viruses that cause measles, mumps, and rubella to the body. The weakened viruses provoke a strong immune response that prevents serious illness.
To produce the vaccine, the manufacturer has to grow the weakened viruses, which—like all viruses—need human cells to grow. In the process, the viruses kill the cells. Scientists then purify the virus to remove any debris or growth reagents, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Former chief medical officer for New York City, Dr. Tyler Evans, said on Thursday, “The claim that the MMR vaccine contains ‘fetal debris’ is not only scientifically inaccurate, it’s dangerously misleading. As someone who has spent my career on the frontlines of outbreaks and humanitarian crises, I can tell you, vaccines save lives.
“The rubella component of the MMR vaccine was developed decades ago using a well-established human cell line, replicated countless times. There is no actual fetal tissue in the vaccine. It’s time we stop politicizing science and return to evidence-based public health, because mistrust fueled by misinformation puts our most vulnerable communities at risk,” he continued.
