Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the measles outbreak in west Texas is a “call to action,” as he encouraged parents to consider whether to get their children vaccinated.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said the decision to vaccinate is “personal” but defended the efficacy of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, saying it is “crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.”
“All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy wrote in an op-ed published on Fox News Digital.
“The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” he continued. “Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
Kennedy, in the op-ed, said healthcare providers, community leaders, and policymakers “have a shared responsibility to protect public health,” adding, “This includes ensuring that accurate information about vaccine safety and efficacy is disseminated.”
“We must engage with communities to understand their concerns, provide culturally competent education, and make vaccines readily accessible for all those who want them,” he added.
Kennedy outlined data connecting the disease and the vaccine: He noted that, of the 146 cases of measles, 79 cases are in unvaccinated individuals, 62 cases are in individuals with unknown vaccination statuses, and 5 cases are in vaccinated individuals.
He added: “Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses.”
“The measles outbreak in Texas is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health,” he said, adding, “Under my leadership, HHS is and will always be committed to radical transparency to regain the public’s trust in its health agencies.”
The op-ed comes as nearly 150 measles cases have been confirmed in west Texas, where a child this past week became the first person to die of measles in the U.S. since 2015.
The outbreak has spread in an area with a large community of Mennonites, many of whom reject conventional medicine such as vaccines, though the church itself does not hold an anti-vaccine stance. It also comes amid a rise in vaccine skepticism.
The MMR vaccine is required for most children in the U.S. entering kindergarten in public schools, but Texas allows children to get exemptions from the requirement for religious or other conscience-related reasons. As a result, the percentage of children with exemptions in Texas has risen from 0.76 percent in 2014 to 2.32 percent in 2024, The Associated Press reported, citing state data.
In Gaines County, nearly 14 percent of schoolchildren opted out of at least one required vaccine in the 2023-24 school year, according to the AP. One school district was found to have a K-12 vaccine exemption rate of 47.95 percent.
The New York Post recently called on Kennedy to go to Texas to advocate for the vaccine, as the outbreak continued to grow.
“Go to Texas, Mr. Secretary, and preach the truth as only a convert can: This vaccine is safe, and getting children jabbed is an act of love,” the Post wrote to Kennedy. “That’s why all your children are vaccinated, despite your well-known concerns.”
Such a proclamation, the Post argued, would make national news given Kennedy’s history of vaccine skepticism, and would “surely convince others elsewhere — and so quietly save lives.”
The Post is owned by billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who also owns The Wall Street Journal, another publication that has called on Kennedy to change his views on vaccines.
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