Dr. Bhattacharya: ‘I fully support’ MMR vaccine, no link to autism

During his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya expressed support for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and downplayed any link to autism.

Stanford Professor Dr. Bhattacharya, Trump’s nominee for National Institutes of Health (NIH) director, follows a careful approach to vaccines that has angered the medical establishment. He has called for more rigorous testing of vaccines and recommended against the experimental COVID-19 mRNA shots. These statements, along with his authorship of the Great Barrington Declaration during the COVID-19 pandemic, has made him a target of the medical establishment. The Biden administration placed Dr. Bhattacharya on its “Disinformation Dozen” blacklist and caused him to be censored on social media.

On Wednesday, Dr. Bhattacharya took heat from both Democrat and Republican senators over his views. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) questioned the physician about the MMR vaccine, citing recent reports that a Texas child died after contracting measles. The child was one of 159 confirmed measles cases, 5 of whom were vaccinated, 80 who were not and 74 are still under investigation. Cassidy challenged Dr. Bhattacharya over reports that the MMR vaccine may be linked to autism, asking him whether the NIH should dedicate resources to investigate such a link.

“Senator, it's a tragedy that a child would die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” Dr. Bhattacharya responded carefully. “I fully support children being vaccinated for diseases like measles that can be prevented with the vaccination efforts.”

“As far as research on autism and vaccines, I don't generally believe that there is a link, based on my reading of the literature,” he continued. “But what I have seen is that there's tremendous distrust in the medicine and science coming out of the pandemic. And we do have, as you know Senator, a sharp rise in autism rates in this country and . . . I don't think any scientist really knows the cause of it. So I would support . . . a broad scientific agenda based on data to get an answer to that.”

Cassidy was dissatisfied with the response, claiming that the link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been “exhaustively studied” and should therefore not be scrutinized any further using federal resources. 

“So again, just going back, do you have an idea or an agenda that would once more . . . prove that [the] measles vaccine is not associated with autism, neither the scheduled vaccine or anything else associated with it?” Cassidy asked Dr. Bhattacharya. “Because my concern is the more we pretend like this is an issue the more we will have children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.”

“Senator, I don't think that there's a link between . . . the MMR vaccine and autism. I'm convinced based on that literature,” the physician replied. “The only reason I'm not wholeheartedly saying yes to your question—which every instinct of mine is to do that—is that there are people who might disagree with me.”

After more pushback from Cassidy, Dr. Bhattacharya explained that he has a responsibility to provide parents who refuse to vaccinate their children with “good data.”

RFK recently reversed his stance on the MMR vaccine

Dr. Bhattacharya’s statements on the MMR vaccine echo those of his would-be boss, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who this week reversed his opposition to the shot. Although Dr. Bhattacharya has previously expressed support for the MMR, DPT, and polio vaccines, Kennedy has suggested there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

But in an op-ed on Sunday, Kennedy urged American parents to vaccinate their children against measles while stressing the importance of nutrition and personal choice in vaccination. After first touting vitamin A as a therapeutic that can help reduce mortality, the HHS secretary recommended parents vaccinate their children with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine—though he emphasized that the decision is “a personal one.”

“Parents play a pivotal role in safeguarding their children’s health,” Kennedy wrote. “All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”

Kennedy closed by stressing the importance of nutrition as “a best defense” against chronic and infectious illness, and said that together with sanitation, nutrition eliminated most measles deaths before the vaccine was introduced.

“Tens of thousands died with, or of, measles annually in 19th Century America. By 1960 -- before the vaccine’s introduction -- improvements in sanitation and nutrition had eliminated 98% of measles deaths. Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses. Vitamins A, C, and D, and foods rich in vitamins B12, C, and E should be part of a balanced diet,” he said.

Sen. Cassidy cited Kennedy’s op-ed when he questioned Dr. Bhattacharya.

Kennedy then: Kids who get measles are healthier

The op-ed shocked observers who recall Kennedy’s opposition to the MMR vaccine. Last year, when asked by John Stossel whether he would give his children the MMR vaccine if they were young, Kennedy said he would not.

“In 1964, there was about three or four hundred [children] who died [from measles] and they were almost all severely malnourished kids, mainly from the Mississippi Delta . . . It’s very, very hard to kill a healthy child with any infectious disease, but particularly with measles," he told Stossel. “And the World Health Organization now says vitamin A is an absolute cure for measles, which we didn’t know about [that] back then. Back then, we were treated with chicken soup and it was a week at home watching ‘Leave it to Beaver.’ And every kid caught it. Every single kid got it. And I had 11 brothers and sisters, and we all got it, and we were all fine. And there are lots and lots of studies out there now that show that kids who get measles as a child are much healthier when they grow up, that they’re much more resistant to cancers, to atopic diseases, to allergies, and to heart disease.”

Kennedy: MMR vaccine associated with autism

During a Q&A session at the Godspeak Cavalry Chapel in 2021, Kennedy said the MMR is associated with autism.

“[Vaccination advocates] knew that a lot of mothers believe the MMR vaccine was causing autism. And they believed that by studying the MMR vaccine alone, isolating it from the other vaccines and studying it alone, they could exonerate that vaccine. And then they could use that to exonerate all the vaccines. So they did a study where they just isolated the MMR vaccine and they looked at children in Georgia, which is where CDC's headquarter was, had five scientists on it, who were their top scientists and what they found was when the data came back: black boys who got the MMR vaccine on time, which means under 36 months of age under three years had a 336% higher chance of getting autism diagnosis than children who did not get it on time,” he said.

Kennedy explained that Blacks have stronger immune systems than Whites, which means they need only half the antigen Whites do. When they receive the full antigen, it pushes their immune system “over the cliff.”

The information contained in this article is for educational and information purposes only and is not intended as health, medical, financial or legal advice. Always consult a physician, lawyer or other qualified professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, health objectives or legal or financial issues. ‍If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, call a qualified free mental health helpline or seek help from a qualified therapist.