無所属ケネディ氏、過去に「脳の一部を寄生虫に食べられた」と主張 米紙

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米紙ニューヨーク・タイムズは８日、１１月の大統領選に無所属で立候補しているロバート・Ｆ・ケネディ・ジュニア氏（７０）が、「脳の一部を寄生虫に食べられた」と過去に主張していたと報じた。寄生虫はその後脳内で死んだ可能性があるという。（写真は１１月の米大統領選に無所属で立候補しているロバート・Ｆ・ケネディ・ジュニア氏）
　ジョン・Ｆ・ケネディ元大統領のおいで、「ＲＦＫジュニア」の通称で知られるケネディ氏は、新型コロナウイルスの流行時、ワクチン懐疑論者として知られた。
　同紙によると、ケネディ氏は２０１２年、２番目の妻との離婚訴訟中の宣誓証言で、重度の記憶障害や意識の混濁を訴え、脳の断層画像を見たニューヨークの医師から「脳に寄生虫が入り込み、脳の一部を食べてそのまま死んだ」のが原因かもしれないと告げられたと述べた。
　同氏はその後回復し、感染症の治療も必要なかったという。
　ＡＦＰは独自にこの陳述書を確認していない。
　ケネディ陣営の広報担当者は、同氏は環境保護活動家として「アフリカ、南米、アジアの広範囲を旅していた」とし、その中で１度、寄生虫症にかかったことがあると述べた。
　ニューヨーク・タイムズは、同氏の診察とは関係のない医師のコメントを引用し、豚肉などに潜むカギサナダという寄生虫の幼虫によって神経症状を呈した可能性はあると報じた。ただし、この幼虫は脳を食べるのではなく、人間の体内の栄養を摂取するという。
　環境問題を得意とする弁護士のケネディ氏は、１１月の大統領選に関する世論調査で、２桁の支持率を得ており、現職のジョー・バイデン大統領かドナルド・トランプ前大統領のどちらに打撃を与えるかで意見が分かれている。
　ケネディ陣営の広報担当者は「（寄生虫の）問題は１０年以上前に解決済みで、ケネディ氏は心身共に健康だ」と述べ、「大統領選を前に、ケネディ氏の健康を疑問視するのはこっけいな話だ」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/05/09-18:18）

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr believed he may have been attacked by a worm that ate part of his brain and then died inside his head, US media reported on Wednesday.
Kennedy, 70, made the claim in a 2012 deposition as part of his divorce from his second wife, according to the New York Times, which said the scion of the storied political clan reported severe memory loss and mental fog.
A New York surgeon who reviewed his brain scans told Kennedy his health issues could have been caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died, the White House hopeful reportedly told attorneys.
Kennedy -- a nephew of former president John F. Kennedy and known informally as RFK Jr -- says he recovered from the 2010 incident and that he did not require treatment for the infection, according to the Times.
Around the same time, Kennedy -- who has described a variety of ailments over the years, including an irregular heartbeat -- said he was suffering from mercury poisoning, which can lead to neurological issues.
AFP has not independently reviewed the deposition but a spokesperson for Kennedy's campaign said he had traveled extensively in Africa, South America and Asia as an environmental advocate and contracted a parasite during one of those trips.
The Times, citing speculation from doctors who had not examined Kennedy, reported that he might have developed a neurological condition caused by a pork tapeworm larva that would likely have survived on nutrients from the body rather than eating his brain.
Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, has presented himself on the campaign trail as more vibrant and youthful than the frontrunners -- 81-year-old President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump, 77.
Health and wellbeing are at the heart of his campaign and he is often pictured on social media taking part in outdoor activities and watersports -- sometimes shirtless.
The environmental lawyer is boasting double-digit support ahead of November's election, and polling has gone back and forth on whether he is hurting Biden or Trump more.
The (parasite) issue was resolved more than 10 years ago, and he is in robust physical and mental health, his spokesman said.
Questioning Mr. Kennedy's health is a hilarious suggestion, given his competition.