As the measles infection spreads rapidly in the United States and unvaccinated children continue to die, Robert Kennedy Jr., the Minister of Health and Human Services known as a 'vaccine skeptic,' has changed his position. He officially acknowledged for the first time the need for measles vaccination.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Jan. 6 (local time), there have been a total of 607 reported measles confirmed cases across 22 states in the U.S. from the beginning of this year to the 3rd. Among them, 567 cases, or 93%, were classified as outbreaks occurring in specific areas.
This is a significant increase compared to last year, when out of a total of 285 infected individuals, 198 (69%) were classified as outbreak cases.
Local media, including the Associated Press, reported that the third death has occurred following the recent measles outbreak. The deceased was an unvaccinated school-aged child, just like the previous two, and resided in the western region of Texas.
U.S. media pointed out that 97% of outbreak patients are unvaccinated, suggesting that responsibility is increasing for Minister Kennedy, who has claimed side effects of vaccines.
Robert Kennedy Jr., son of the late former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and a member of the Kennedy family, has been a controversial figure for making baseless claims that vaccines cause autism.
In an interview with Fox News earlier last month, he stated that 'the cause of the measles outbreak is malnutrition,' and mentioned he was preparing clinical trials for an alternative treatment method using vitamin A supplements.
In response, infectious disease experts criticized, saying, 'The Minister of Health and Human Services' erroneous message is hindering epidemic prevention.'
According to doctors at the children's hospital in western Texas, where the first death from measles occurred, some child patients were found to have liver damage due to excessive intake of vitamin A. Hospital director Lara Johnson noted, 'It appears they took vitamin A for the treatment and prevention of measles.'
Dr. Peter Marks, a former director of the FDA's vaccine division, emphasized in an AP interview, 'This is a typical unnecessary death,' and added, 'Children must be vaccinated.'
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican and a physician, publicly criticized on social media (X), 'Everyone must get vaccinated! There are no other treatments for measles. The top health officials need to be clear before it’s too late.'
Amid growing criticism, Minister Kennedy posted on X later that afternoon, stating, 'Today, I visited Gaines County, Texas, to console the family of the deceased child,' and added, 'The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.'
He also explained, 'Since early March, I have deployed CDC response teams across Texas to enhance response capabilities and have also worked on supplying MMR vaccines and medications.'