By ARIEL FRISTOE
Because the inventive director of Out of Hand Theater, an arts group that promotes anti-racism, social activism and well being fairness, I imagine the latest appointment of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK) as Secretary to the Division of Well being and Human Providers is past regarding. RFK isn’t a health care provider, neither is he a scientist, but he has been very vocal about his vaccine skepticism and has promoted misinformation about vaccine security. Now, together with the elimination of scientific info and warnings from the Facilities for Illness Management (CDC) web site, RFK’s appointment may result in main will increase in preventable and critical sicknesses, outbreaks and deaths.
COVID-19 and its varied mutations are nonetheless very a lot a part of our each day panorama. In accordance with the World Well being Group (WHO), greater than 7 million COVID-related deaths have been reported since 2020 worldwide, almost 2 million deaths have been recorded in 2020 alone. The primary vaccines have been developed and have become out there by November 2020 and reported deaths from the final 28 days is 3,872, which is a 98.7% lower from the onset of the pandemic. Vaccines work and save lives!
Ailments like smallpox and the bubonic plague have been worn out as a result of scientists developed vaccines. At the moment, with the “anti-vax” rhetoric being embraced and misinformation being so commonplace, reviews of measles went from 4 circumstances in 2023 to 285 in 2024. 9 of those circumstances required hospitalization. The affected people embody six kids beneath 4 years outdated, 16 people aged 5-17, and two adults over 18 – the numbers rise as the times go by with 124 circumstances in in Texas in 2025 alone. We can not and shouldn’t be going backwards the place drugs is worried.
Well being consultants are involved that growing nonmedical vaccine exemptions amongst schoolchildren may result in extra frequent outbreaks. Declining vaccination charges are worrisome as measles could cause critical sickness, together with hospitalization and mind swelling. I’m not a health care provider nor a scientist, however I place my belief within the precise medical doctors and scientists who’ve the higher good in thoughts when growing medicines to fight and forestall ailments. Why does this matter to me? By means of our Equitable Vaccines program, we use artwork, info and dialog to encourage vaccine confidence and educate the neighborhood about sources in order that we are able to create a more healthy neighborhood, and we’re proud to have helped ship 650 vaccines throughout Georgia. A wholesome neighborhood is a robust neighborhood – and to me, that’s the most beneficial commodity over what’s imported and exported.
As a girl, as a mom, as a human, I fear about our well being and our youngsters’s future with RFK Jr main the Division of Well being and Human Providers. I implore that each one of us contact our native and state representatives to precise our issues over RFK’s Division of Well being and Human Providers appointment. We can not go backwards when we’ve got the sources out there to us to create a protected and wholesome place for each citizen to thrive. We should prioritize our communities’ well being and permit confirmed information to information our most necessary selections that impression these which might be most treasured to us.
Ariel Fristoe is the Creative Director at Out of Hand Theater
