An 8-year-old Texas youngster died of pulmonary failure because of measles, marking the third confirmed measles demise and the second demise of a youngster from measles to happen in the US in many years. Each kids have been unvaccinated.
“[T]here are 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, 499 of those in Texas,” Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X.
Kennedy additionally introduced that he was touring to Texas to supply condolences to the household of the lately deceased youngster.
Whereas the notorious anti-vaxxer failed to say that almost all of circumstances are in unvaccinated kids, he did admit that the MMR vaccine is the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.”
Because the measles outbreak rages on, Kennedy has admitted that the MMR vaccine is the simplest solution to struggle in opposition to the illness, whereas additionally undermining the need of vaccinations. In public appearances, comparable to on Fox Information with Sean Hannity, Kennedy stated it was higher to get contaminated with measles than to be vaccinated.
Texas HHS has confirmed that, whereas most confirmed circumstances stay primarily within the western a part of the state, new circumstances have emerged in central Texas and a regarding rise within the northeast area. In the meantime, New Mexico has reported greater than 50 circumstances, and Kansas has reported 24.
On the identical time, Kennedy’s nonprofit Kids’s Well being Protection Fund continues to advertise dangerously uninformed science about vaccines and measles, falsely claiming that poor medical therapies are accountable for the current deaths. The group can also be pushing vitamin A dietary supplements, which not solely can’t treatment nor cease the unfold of measles, however can truly be poisonous for kids.
Exterior of providing “comfort” to grieving households, Kennedy’s actions belie any significant scientific or medically confirmed options to stopping this public well being nightmare.
As HHS secretary, Kennedy has slashed public well being analysis budgets, fired tens of 1000’s of federal well being care staff, and promoted anti-vaccine goons like David Geier.
So whereas Kennedy might sometimes acknowledge the significance of vaccines, his actions and continued encouragement of anti-vaccine rhetoric constantly undermines any public well being efforts.
