Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a distinguished vaccine skeptic, dismissed considerations a couple of measles outbreak spreading in west Texas that has reportedly claimed the nation’s first life in a decade, telling reporters: “It’s common” and “now we have measles outbreaks yearly.”
“There are two individuals who have died, however we’re watching it. There are about 20 individuals hospitalized, primarily for quarantine,” he mentioned Wednesday when requested concerning the demise in the course of the first Cupboard assembly of Donald Trump’s new administration.
His feedback instantly adopted well being officers in Lubbock, Texas, asserting the demise of an unvaccinated school-age little one. It’s not clear when or the place this second demise cited by Kennedy occurred or whether or not there was a second demise in any respect.
A spokesperson for his workplace informed JHB in an electronic mail that the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention “is conscious of the demise of 1 little one in Texas from measles.” They didn’t touch upon or clarify the second demise cited by Kennedy.
The demise introduced Wednesday is the primary attributed to measles within the U.S. since 2015, the CDC, which didn’t instantly reply to JHB’s request for remark, informed The Related Press.
The Texas Division of State Well being Providers has reported 124 circumstances as of Tuesday, making it the biggest outbreak the state has seen in practically 30 years, state well being officers have mentioned. The overwhelming majority of these contaminated in Texas are kids, and all however 5 of the circumstances are in people who find themselves unvaccinated or with a standing unknown.
9 further circumstances even have been confirmed in Lea County, New Mexico, which is alongside Texas’ northwest border.
“By the way, there have been 4 measles outbreaks this 12 months on this nation. Final 12 months there have been 16. So it’s common. We’ve measles outbreaks yearly,” Kennedy mentioned when requested concerning the little one’s demise in the course of the first two months of this 12 months. The CDC confirms 16 outbreaks in 2024 however reported simply 4 outbreaks in 2023.
Andrew Harnik through Getty Photographs
For comparability, there have been 285 confirmed circumstances throughout the nation throughout all of final 12 months.
The virus might be particularly harmful for youngsters, leading to respiratory and neurologic issues and demise.
Roughly 1-3 out of each 1,000 measles circumstances will end in demise from these issues, whereas 1 in each 1,000 measles circumstances will end in acute encephalitis, which frequently leads to everlasting mind injury, in line with the CDC.
Kennedy, who doesn’t have a medical background, has an extended report of anti-vaccine advocacy and different conspiracy theories, which he was repeatedly grilled over throughout his Senate affirmation listening to final month.
In 2023 he falsely mentioned “there’s no vaccine that’s protected and efficient,” and in 2021 he urged individuals to “resist” CDC pointers on when children ought to get vaccinated. He’s additionally falsely claimed that vaccines trigger autism.
He reversed a few of these feedback throughout his listening to, telling lawmakers that he helps vaccines and wouldn’t discourage individuals from getting vaccinated as well being secretary.
The present measles outbreak comes amid a yearslong decline in vaccination charges for youngsters within the U.S.
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The vaccination price was close to 95% for 10 years earlier than dropping to about 93% beginning in 2020 in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. So-called herd immunity might be reached when greater than 95% of a neighborhood’s inhabitants has been vaccinated, in line with the CDC.
This rise in circumstances, and drop in vaccinations, follows measles being declared formally eradicated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the nation’s then-high vaccination price. That standing meant that the one new circumstances that occurred had been from individuals who contracted the virus from one other nation and returned with it.
“Earlier than the measles vaccine was launched, an estimated 48,000 individuals had been hospitalized and 400–500 individuals died in america every year,” in line with the CDC.