The campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.the independent presidential candidate, confirmed 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 statement that a parasitic worm “ate a part” of his brain and may have caused cognitive problems.
Kennedy campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear said in a statement to CBS News that she contracted the parasite after traveling “extensively in Africa, South America and Asia as an environmental advocate.”
“The problem was resolved more than 10 years ago, and he is in good physical and mental health. To call Mr. Kennedy's health into question is a hilarious suggestion, given his competence,” Spear said.
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During a statement given by Kennedy in 2012 in the midst of his divorce from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, The Times reports that he stated that he faced “cognitive problems” and experienced memory loss and brain fog, which which caused a doctor to say he had a dead parasite. in his brain in 2010.
The Times reported that Kennedy said in the deposition that a friend pushed him to seek medical attention after noticing his cognitive problems, initially thinking Kennedy might have a brain tumor.
Kennedy may have contracted parasitic worms in his brain, according to a medical expert. However, parasites such as tapeworms do not consume brain tissue, as Kennedy suggested during his deposition.
Tapeworm infections, or neurocysticercosis, can be contracted from eating undercooked pork or drinking contaminated water, especially in regions with poor sanitation such as parts of Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. When people 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 includes medications such as antiparasitic drugs to kill the worms.
In some cases, if the worm dies, the body's immune system can remove the dead worm from the brain tissue without the need for surgery, unless complications arise. It's unclear whether Kennedy underwent surgery for that diagnosis, though he told the Times in a recent interview that he has fully recovered from the memory loss and brain fog and has experienced no other lingering effects. He also mentioned that no treatment was needed for the parasitic disease.
During Kennedy's deposition in 2012, he also reported being diagnosed with mercury poisoning, which he said was the result of a diet high in tuna and other fish, according to The Times. He reportedly said: “I have cognitive issues, of course. I have short-term memory loss and long-term memory loss that affects me.”
According to experts, memory loss is more associated with mercury poisoning than with a parasitic worm.
Kennedy told the newspaper that she attributed her mercury poisoning diagnosis to her diet. He said medical tests showed his mercury levels were 10 times higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe.
“I loved the tuna sandwiches. I ate them all the time,” Kennedy told The Times.
Kennedy has long been an outspoken campaigner against vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was phased out of childhood vaccines two decades ago, falsely linking vaccinations in children to an increase in 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, which is found in fish, can be toxic to humans.
And while both parasitic infections and mercury poisoning can cause permanent brain damage, full recovery is also possible, experts say.
