Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on a mission to spread misinformation about autism. In an interview, he compared it to COVID-19 and said that autism is a bigger epidemic "because COVID killed old people." Speaking to John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM radio show The Cats Roundtable, RFK Jr falsely claimed that autism is an epidemic.

Advertisment

The Secretary of Health and Human Services stated that “the COVID epidemic and the impacts on our country" were smaller when compared to the harm caused by autism, because "COVID killed old people."

RFK Jr is a known anti-vaxxer and has ardently spoken about how vaccines cause autism. Experts have denied that there is a link between the two. He is now on a crusade to reveal the "cause" of autism. In a cabinet meeting held in early April, RFK Jr stated that he would find what caused autism by September. 

Also Read: Trump's health secretary RFK who said autism is 'curable' now claims 'environmental toxins' could be causing it

Advertisment

At a press conference last week, Kennedy cited a CDC report on autism, according to which the number of autism cases slightly increased between 2020 and 2022. At the Cabinet meeting, he announced a “massive testing and research effort”  to identify the “environmental toxin” behind this rise.

CDC report on autism

Notably, a new report by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that autism numbers rose in 2022, with 1 in 36 children being diagnosed with autism. However, the health body attributed this rise to better screening. 

Advertisment

Also Read: Texas measles death: Unvaccinated child dies amid growing outbreak. This is what anti-vaxxer health secy RFK Jr said

He told mediapersons that people with autism will "never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem." This statement enraged several people on social media, people who have autism, families of such people and groups who work for autistic people.

COVID-19 killed millions

His statements not only angered those with autism but also people who had lost loved ones to COVID-19. It killed nearly seven million across the world, and the deaths were not limited to older people. Many in their 30s, 40s and 50s were also killed in the pandemic, including children. More than 10 million children in the world have also lost a parent to COVID-19.