Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'contracted a parasite' during travels, his team says after NYT report
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign is responding following a report from the New York Times saying that years ago doctors found a dead worm in his brain.
The Times reported Wednesday that doctors noticed a dark spot in brain scans for Kennedy after he experienced memory loss in 2010 and concluded he had a brain tumor, according to a 2012 deposition. He received a call from another doctor who believed that it was not a tumor, and was instead a dead parasite.
The doctor believed the abnormality “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died,” Kennedy said in the deposition, per the New York Times.
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Kennedy told the Times he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning likely from ingesting too much fish containing the heavy metal at the same time he learned about the parasite. Among other symptoms, mercury poisoning can cause irritability, indecision, headache, weakness or exhaustion and weight loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Kennedy's campaign team seemed to confirm a previous issue with a parasite, but said the issue has been resolved.
"Mr. Kennedy traveled extensively in Africa, South America, and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate, and in one of those locations contracted a parasite," his press team said in an email. "The issue was resolved more than 10 years ago, and he is in robust physical and mental health."
The press team added: "Questioning Mr. Kennedy’s health is a hilarious suggestion, given his competition."
Kennedy, 70, is running as an independent in the 2024 presidential election and his name will appear on the ballot in Michigan, Utah, Hawaii and, his campaign says, in Delaware and California. Voters in those states will have the option to vote for Kennedy, Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump, 77, and Democratic nominee and current president Joe Biden, 81.
Kennedy is the son of Robert F. Kennedy, a former U.S. Senator who was assassinated during his presidential campaign in 1968, and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. Beyond his famous family, Kennedy has made a name for himself as an environmental attorney, activist and writer, and notably, spreading anti-vaccine rhetoric and COVID-19 misinformation.
Members of the Kennedy family have rejected his campaign, formally endorsing President Joe Biden in April at a campaign rally in Philadelphia.
Contributing: Natalie Alund
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr.'s campaign responds to brain worm report from New York Times
