An 8-year-old Texas baby died of pulmonary failure on account of measles, marking the third confirmed measles loss of life and the second loss of life of a baby from measles to happen in the USA in many years. Each youngsters 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 just lately deceased baby.
Whereas the notorious anti-vaxxer failed to say that almost all of circumstances are in unvaccinated youngsters, 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 best method to struggle towards the illness, whereas additionally undermining the need of vaccinations. In public appearances, reminiscent of 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 Youngsters’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 be pushing vitamin A dietary supplements, which not solely can’t treatment nor cease the unfold of measles, however can truly be poisonous for youngsters.
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 could often acknowledge the significance of vaccines, his actions and continued encouragement of anti-vaccine rhetoric persistently undermines any public well being efforts.
