Kennedy Declares Backing for Measles Vaccine in Response to Outbreak
The health secretary's statement marks a surprising development, especially in light of reports regarding the death of a second child.
TroibNews 
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spent years advocating debunked theories and raising concerns about vaccine safety, promoted the measles vaccine on Sunday.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy stated on the social media platform X.
His remarks come as measles cases are on the rise, with reports of a second child dying from the virus. The child, who was unvaccinated and had no underlying health conditions, was reported by the Texas Department of State Health. The first child death of the year was announced on February 26, also in Texas.
Prior to this year, the U.S. had not seen a measles-related death in a decade.
“As of today, there are 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, 499 of those in Texas,” Kennedy noted on X.
Just last month, Kennedy was on television and in an op-ed warning of the purported dangers of the measles vaccine.
“It does cause deaths every year,” he claimed about the MMR vaccine while appearing on Fox News. “It causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, etcetera. And so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves.”
Medical experts have consistently countered Kennedy’s assertions. “The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is extraordinarily safe and effective,” said Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, in a statement last month as measles cases increased in Texas.
Kennedy has also suggested cod liver oil and other treatments as alternative, less risky options compared to the vaccine.
While hospitalized measles patients often show a deficiency in vitamin A, which can be supplemented by cod liver oil according to several studies, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases cautions that vitamin A does not prevent measles. “It is not appropriate for parents to use vitamin A as a preventative measure,” they stated.
Kennedy’s recent pivot regarding the MMR vaccine has frustrated supporters of the Trump administration who backed his confirmation due to his promise to investigate supposed links between vaccines and autism, a notion that has been extensively debunked by scientists.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy stated on the social media platform X.
His remarks come as measles cases are on the rise, with reports of a second child dying from the virus. The child, who was unvaccinated and had no underlying health conditions, was reported by the Texas Department of State Health. The first child death of the year was announced on February 26, also in Texas.
Prior to this year, the U.S. had not seen a measles-related death in a decade.
“As of today, there are 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, 499 of those in Texas,” Kennedy noted on X.
Just last month, Kennedy was on television and in an op-ed warning of the purported dangers of the measles vaccine.
“It does cause deaths every year,” he claimed about the MMR vaccine while appearing on Fox News. “It causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, etcetera. And so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves.”
Medical experts have consistently countered Kennedy’s assertions. “The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is extraordinarily safe and effective,” said Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, in a statement last month as measles cases increased in Texas.
Kennedy has also suggested cod liver oil and other treatments as alternative, less risky options compared to the vaccine.
While hospitalized measles patients often show a deficiency in vitamin A, which can be supplemented by cod liver oil according to several studies, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases cautions that vitamin A does not prevent measles. “It is not appropriate for parents to use vitamin A as a preventative measure,” they stated.
Kennedy’s recent pivot regarding the MMR vaccine has frustrated supporters of the Trump administration who backed his confirmation due to his promise to investigate supposed links between vaccines and autism, a notion that has been extensively debunked by scientists.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
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