RFK Jr. slammed by Samoa's top health official over measles remarks
By
Gabe Whisnant is Deputy Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in South Carolina. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2023, he directed daily publications in North and South Carolina. As an executive editor, Gabe led award-winning coverage of Charleston church shooter Dylan Roof's capture in 2015, along with coverage of the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. You can get in touch with Gabe by emailing g.whisnant@newsweek.com. Find him on Twitter @GabeWhisnant.
Deputy Weekend Editor
news article
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Share
✓ Link copied to clipboard!
On Monday, Samoa's top health official condemned statements made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his confirmation hearings for U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, calling them "a complete lie."
The official refuted Kennedy's claim that some individuals who died during the country's 2019 measles epidemic did not actually have the disease.
"We don't know what was killing them," Kennedy said during U.S. Senate hearings last week, suggesting that the cause of the 83 deaths — mostly of children under age 5 — was unclear.
"It's a total fabrication," Samoa Director-General of Health Dr. Alec Ekeroma told The Associated Press of Kennedy's comments.
U.S. senators grilled President Donald Trump's HHS pick last week over his 2019 Samoa trip, accusing him of downplaying his role in the epidemic.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
More to follow.
Originally published by newsweek.com. Syndicated material does not necessarily reflect the views of Vanity Fair Fashion.
