Liam Conner
The campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.the independent presidential candidate, confirmed on Wednesday that he contracted a brain parasite more than a decade ago.
His campaign comment came after The New York Times reported that he said in a 2012 deposition that a parasitic worm “ate a portion” of his brain and may have caused cognitive problems.
Kennedy campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear said in a statement to CBS News that he contracted a parasite after traveling “extensively throughout Africa, South America and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate.”
“The problem was resolved more than 10 years ago and he is in good physical and mental health. Questioning Mr. Kennedy’s health is a hilarious suggestion given his competition,” Spear said.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
During a deposition given by Kennedy in 2012, during his divorce from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, The Times reports that he stated that he faced “cognitive problems” and suffered memory loss and mental confusion, leading a doctor to say that he had a dead parasite. in your brain in 2010.
The Times reported that Kennedy said on the stand that a friend pressured him to seek medical attention after noticing his cognitive problems, initially thinking Kennedy might be suffering from a brain tumor.
It’s possible that Kennedy contracted parasitic worms in his brain, according to a medical expert. However, parasites like tapeworms do not consume brain tissue, as Kennedy suggested during his testimony.
Tapeworm infections, or neurocysticercosis, can be contracted by consuming undercooked pork or drinking contaminated water, especially in regions with poor sanitation, such as parts of Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. When individuals ingest tapeworm eggs, they can travel through the bloodstream and infest various organs, including the brain, muscles, liver and other tissues.
Treatment for tapeworm infection usually involves medications such as antiparasitic medications to kill the worms.
In some cases, if the worm dies, the body’s immune system can eliminate the dead worm from the brain tissue without the need for surgery unless complications arise. It is unclear whether Kennedy underwent surgery for this diagnosis, although he told the Times in a recent interview that he has fully recovered from the memory loss and brain fog and has suffered no other lingering effects. He also mentioned that no treatment was needed for the parasitic condition.
According to The Times, during Kennedy’s 2012 testimony, he also reported being diagnosed with mercury poisoning, which he said was the result of a diet high in tuna and other fish. He reportedly said: “I have cognitive problems, clearly. I have short-term memory loss and long-term memory loss that affects me.”
Memory loss is more commonly associated with mercury poisoning than a parasitic worm, experts say.
Kennedy told the newspaper that he attributed his mercury poisoning diagnosis to his diet. He said medical tests showed his mercury levels were 10 times higher than those considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I loved tuna sandwiches. I ate them all the time,” Kennedy told The Times.
Kennedy has long been an outspoken activist against vaccines that contain thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that has been discontinued of childhood vaccines two decades ago, falsely linking childhood vaccinations to the rise of autism and other medical conditions. There is no evidence to suggest that low doses of thimerosal cause harm to people, but excessive consumption of mercury, found in fish, can be toxic to humans.
And while both parasitic infections and mercury poisoning can cause permanent brain damage, a full recovery is also possible, experts say.
