RFK Jr.’s Faulty Claim that U.S. Measles Response Is ‘Better’ Than ‘Any Other Country’

Filed 1h ago · Via FactCheck.org · The Buffoon Desk

THIS STORY IS SCORED

Olde Timey

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Lommes · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly told reporters and Congress that the U.S. is handling measles better than any country in the world, pointing to higher case rates in Mexico, Canada and Britain as proof.

World Health Organization data tell a less flattering story: the U.S. ranked 65th out of 169 countries for measles rate this year, putting it in the bottom 38 percent globally, roughly tied with Russia. The country has 3,294 confirmed cases so far this year, the most since 1991, and is expected to lose its measles elimination status in November.

Experts told FactCheck.org that a fairer comparison is the U.S. against its own past performance, which is currently the worst in three decades. Kennedy has also blamed COVID lockdowns for the outbreaks, a claim experts dispute, while omitting the role of vaccine misinformation.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

Comparing yourself to Mexico, Canada and Britain while a hundred other countries quietly beat you is a neat trick, and anybody who ever picked their own three-man bracket knows how it works. The number that matters is the one from home: worst measles year since 1991, and elimination status headed out the door in November. When a man blames the lockdowns for that and never once says the word misinformation, he's told you which part of the ledger he'd rather you not read.

Source: Read the original at FactCheck.org → Scored: Olde Timey · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

Read it scored.

Every story, every clown, every kazoo — in your pocket. Music plays automatically. Regret is optional.

GET IT ON iOS GET IT ON ANDROID

OR FOLLOW THE DESK ON BLUESKY →