内容摘要：Coles, 25, said Healthy Start is “probably the best thing that’s happened in this pregnancy.” She called Keener “an angel.”

Coles, 25, said Healthy Start is “probably the best thing that’s happened in this pregnancy.” She called Keener “an angel.”

in under six months’ time.Kennedy’s followers — a contingent of health-conscious moms, Republicans loyal to President Donald Trump and others — have celebrated his “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives. But scientists and public health experts have expressed dismay over some of Kennedy’s statements about Americans’ diets,

. Here’s a look at some of those claims Kennedy has made, with additional context and facts.KENNEDY, at a news conference Wednesday: Studies show that autism rates in the U.S. were “1 in 10,000 when I was a kid” compared to a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that found it to be 1 in 31. He says that is evidence of an autism epidemic in the U.S. and that, “we know it’s an environmental exposure. It has to be.”THE FACTS: It’s true that in the 20th century, only 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism —- the diagnosis was rare and given only to kids with severe problems communicating or socializing and those with unusual, repetitive behaviors. But the term became shorthand for a group of milder, related conditions known as ″autism spectrum disorders,” and the number of kids labeled as having some form of autism began to balloon.

The term “epidemic” is widely used to describe surges in different health problems — like autism, obesity and gun violence, to name a few. But strictly speaking, “epidemic” is defined as a fast-spreading outbreak of disease, and there’s not good evidence that autism meets that definition.Health officials have largely attributed growing autism numbers to better recognition of cases, through wide screening and better diagnosis. Last week, the CDC said

There are no blood or biologic tests for autism; it is diagnosed by making judgments about a child’s behavior. Research has looked at a variety of other possible explanations, including genetics, the age of the father, the weight of the mother and chemicals in the environment.

Prior to his rise to health secretary, Kennedy joined anti-vaccine advocates in claiming childhood vaccines are responsible for autism, but studies by the CDC and others have ruled that out. A fraudulent single study that claimed a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was later retracted by the journal that published it.Kennedy’s inconsistent and unclear message on the measles vaccines has also made the outbreaks difficult to contain, experts say.

He has occasionally endorsed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as “effective,” but also continues to raise safety concerns about the shots in other statements. In a CBS interview last week, he claimed the vaccines were “not safety tested.”That approach has been the biggest flaw of the government’s response, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“Imagine if the captain of the Titanic had told you that you need to be careful about lifeboats and think about other opportunities,” del Rio said.Trials were conducted on thousands of children before the vaccine was approved for use in the 1960s. The federal government has since used medical records to continue to monitor for side effects from use in millions of people since.