Vaccine skeptic HHS chief RFK Jr. touts measles shot as deadly outbreak ravages Texas

Infamously vax-doubting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.Kennedy Jr.

touted the benefits of the measles vaccine Sunday as a growing outbreak of the deadly disease ravages Texas.The HHS secretary, whose lengthy history of trafficking in vaccine skepticism nearly derailed his confirmation, underscored the rapidly escalating nature of the outbreak and stressed that the shots are very effective at prevention.“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, 71, wrote in a Fox News op-ed.Last week, an unvaccinated child died from the highly contagious respiratory illness in Texas — the first such US death in about 10 years — and there have been more than another 145 confirmed measles cases in the state since late January, according to recent data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.“I have also spoken to the bereaved parents of the deceased child to offer consolation,” the HHS secretary revealed.In addition to Texas, there have been cases in eight other states, including New Jersey and New Mexico.The majority of measles cases are generally considered mild, with symptoms such as a runny nose and fever spanning up to about two weeks.But there are instances of severe complications such as blindness and even death.

There is no known cure for measles, and vaccination is the best defense, health experts say.Before the vaccine was introduced in the US in the 1960s, “virtually every child in the United States contracted measles,” Kennedy recounted.“For example, in the United States, from 1953 to 1962, on average there were 530,217 confirmed cases and 440 deaths, a case fatality rate of 1 in 1,205 cases,” he wrote.The first round of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is typically recommended for toddlers ages 12 to 15 months, with the second dose usually administered between ages 4 to 6...