RFK Jr. has raised doubts about vaccines, but data show how many lives they've saved
CBSN
In his inaugural speech, President Trump vowed to "keep our children healthy and disease free," but his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has a long history of raising doubts about vaccines — despite decades of evidence showing they've saved millions of people from debilitating illness or death.
"People forget what it used to be (before vaccines)," CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said on "CBS Mornings Plus," pointing to data showing a huge decline in cases and deaths from these diseases compared with pre-vaccine levels.
"If you look at the 10 top childhood illnesses every year, vaccines prevent more than 1 million cases and more than 10,000 deaths" in the U.S., he said. Worldwide, the numbers are even greater, with an estimated 2-3 million lives saved by childhood vaccinations each year.
