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Trump Says RFK Jr. Free to Revisit Discredited Autism/Vaccine Link
If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is approved to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he will be free to revisit a long-debunked link between autism and childhood vaccines, President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday. The remarks came during an exclusive interview with “Meet the Press.”
“I think somebody has to find out,” Trump told moderator Kristen Welker. “If you go back 25 years ago, you had very little autism. Now you have it.” The topic came up after Welker noted that studies have shown childhood vaccines prevent about four million deaths worldwide every year. Welker also noted that there’s been no connection found between vaccines and autism, and increases in autism diagnoses are probably tied to greater screening and awareness of the developmental disorder.
Autism diagnoses have spiked about 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 36 today, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Instead, scientists have reported on a strong genetic link to the complex disorder, along with other factors.
Arkansas Pilot Program Tests School Cellphone Ban to Aid Students’ Mental Health
As students at John L. Colbert Middle School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, attended the first day of school in August, principal Warren Collier knew cellphones were in every backpack. The phones, however, per a new rule, were required to stay in backpacks throughout the school day. The school is part of the 112 districts that have signed on for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ pilot program to establish “phone-free” schools to enhance student mental health and reduce screen addiction.
The initiative is financed by $7 million in state funding for schools to buy phone storage pouches or lock mechanisms. “So cellphones are not allowed,” Collier said. “So they have to keep them in their backpack all day.” Huckabee Sanders wants schools to act to help clear young minds that are overwhelmed with texts and Snapchats rather than being focused on subjects like English and Algebra.
CDC Warns of Deadly Drug 100 Times More Potent Than Fentanyl, Overdoses Spike in Past Year
Fentanyl has made headlines for driving overdose deaths, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of the rise of an even deadlier drug. Last year, nearly 70% of all U.S. overdose deaths were attributed to illegally manufactured fentanyls. One of those was carfentanil, an altered version of fentanyl that is said to be 100 times more potent, the CDC warned in a Dec. 5 alert.
Deaths from carfentanil rose by more than 700% in the past year, according to the same source — there were 29 deadly overdoses between January and June 2023, and 238 in that same time frame in 2024. “Children are now the generation of artificial intelligence and deepfakes, as illicit drugs are posing like regular prescription medications,” Tuell cautioned.
To help protect kids from the dangers of illicit drugs, the expert emphasized the importance of open communication and education. “Educate your child about the dangers and risks of drug use, including synthetic opioids like carfentanil,” he advised.
Parents should provide monitoring and supervision of their children, be aware of their social circles and limit unsupervised online activities, Tuell recommended.
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Removal of Tonsils, Adenoids May Increase Stress-Related Disorders in Children, Teens
The surgical removal of tonsils or adenoids in young people is associated with an increased risk for subsequent stress-related disorders, according to a study published online Dec. 9 in JAMA Network Open. Xue Xiao, M.D., Ph.D., from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in Nanning, China, and colleagues examined whether the surgical removal of tonsils or adenoids is associated with a subsequent risk for stress-related disorders in a cohort study using Swedish nationwide population and health registry data of all individuals born between Jan. 1, 1981, and Dec. 31, 2016.
Individuals who had undergone surgical removal of tonsils or adenoids (exposed persons) were compared to matched unrelated unexposed individuals (population-matched cohort [83,957 exposed and 839,570 unexposed persons]) and to full siblings (sibling-matched cohort [51,601 exposed and 75,159 unexposed full siblings]).
Eyes on the Brain: How Eye Movements Help Understand Facial Processing in Children With Autism
University of Houston psychology researcher Jason Griffin, who has pioneered new ways of measuring eye movements to understand autism spectrum disorder, is reporting that children with autism focus on faces differently than other children, especially in the early stages of visual processing. His findings may lead to improvement in face processing for those with the neurodevelopmental condition.
For most people, looking eye-to-eye with someone while talking seems an important yet innocuous social convention — one barely thought of during polite conversation. But for those with autism, characterized by differences in social communication, including reduced facial recognition, the struggle is real. “In this study, our primary goal was to test the hypothesis that children with autism display qualitatively distinct eye movement patterns during social perception,” reports Griffin in Biological Psychiatry.
They found that children with autism prioritize faces in different ways, particularly when they first see them.
Study Links Air Toxin Exposure Risk to Higher Disability Rates in Schools
Children are at greater risk from inhaled air pollutants than adults, as they have higher respiratory rates. Research has shown that air pollutants in the form of respiratory toxicants (such as some pesticides and solvents) can represent a significant health risk to children.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed a nationwide study to assess the estimated non-cancer exposure risks of public school students to ambient air respiratory toxicants. The analysis also examined how disability status, race and ethnicity were related to exposure risk in more than 88,000 regular public schools located in the 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Research findings were presented in December at the annual meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis in Austin, Texas. Mariah Amter, Oakridge Institute for Science and Education Research Fellow, presented the study, “Geographic and sociodemographic disparities in estimated potential exposure risks of children to ambient air respiratory toxicants at U.S. public schools,” on Dec. 9 at 6:00 p.m.
Death Toll From Contaminated Infant IV Feeding Bags in Mexico Rises to 17
Authorities in Mexico said Tuesday that a total of 17 children have died in central Mexico from suspected contamination of IV feeding bags after four more deaths were confirmed. David Kershenobich, the country’s public health secretary, said 16 of the victims were underweight, premature babies being treated at hospitals; the other victim was 14 years old. He said that two bacteria, including a multidrug-resistant bug, were suspected in the deaths.
Investigators say the bacterial contamination apparently happened at a plant in the city of Toluca that manufactured the IV nutrition mixture, and that the company had been temporarily shut down and use of the product had been halted.
