• Darla Shine, the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Bill Shine, pushed anti-vaxx beliefs on Twitter on Wednesday.
• Her Twitter rant against vaccinations came after the release of a CNN report on a major measles outbreak.
• People were quick to criticise Shine’s beliefs, with some calling her a “health hazard.”
• The mass measles outbreak across the United States has sickened more than 100 people across 10 states.

The wife of one of President Donald Trump’s top aides is pushing anti-vaccination beliefs on Twitter.

Darla Shine, the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and former Fox News executive Bill Shine, went on a Twitter rant about vaccinations after the release of a CNN report on a major measles outbreak that has affected more than 100 people.

She called the report “#Fake” and “#Hysteria,” suggesting that the nation should “Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases” because “they keep you healthy & fight cancer.”

“I had the #Measles#Mumps#ChickenPox as a child and so did every kid I knew – Sadly my kids had #MMR so they will never have the life long natural immunity I have,” she said in another tweet.

People were quick to criticise Shine’s beliefs, with some calling her a “health hazard.”

The mass measles outbreak across the United States has brought the debate over anti-vaccination beliefs to the forefront.

Opposition to vaccines is generally based on religious and philosophical beliefs, though medical professionals have said vaccines play a vital role in preventing diseases.

Read more:
A state-by-state guide to vaccine exemptions in the US

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than 70,000 measles cases were prevented in the US between 1994 and 2013 thanks to vaccines.

Before the vaccine was introduced in the 1960s, 400 to 500 people died from the measles each year.

The World Health Organisation said measles cases surged by 30% around the globe in 2018, primarily in places like the US and Europe where more parents are opting not to vaccinate their children.

Shine has previously come under fire for backing conspiracy theories on Twitter, and took a hiatus from the social media site last year.

INSIDER has reached out to the White House for comment.

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