Kennedy has many times criticized vaccines and is often referred to as a vaccine skeptic. According to the news agency AP he has stated that there are no safe and effective vaccines.
Nevertheless, he himself says that he is not anti-vaccine.
Health experts are not reassured by this, and several are deeply concerned about the consequences if Kennedy becomes health minister.
– Progress will quickly be lost in societies where vaccine skepticism is promoted, which I fear will happen in the US if Kennedy is appointed, says Beate Kampmann, professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, to The Guardian.
In other parts of the world, she believes attitudes to vaccines will become more polarized.
Professor Andrew Pollard at the University of Oxford says he is afraid Kennedy will promote views that are contrary to research and science.
– If this causes families to hesitate to vaccinate against deadly diseases that threaten children, then the consequences will be fatal for some.
Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he wants Kennedy as health minister. Whether the Senate will try to stop the appointment is currently unclear.
Read comment: Donald Trump is well on his way to a police state
Read also: Lavrov to Donald Trump: – The ball is in your court now
Read also: The minister on the banana phobia: – Agree that it is crazy