Measles has killed a child in West Texas. More than 130 people have fallen ill in a fast-moving outbreak that experts call one of the largest in recent U.S. history. After vaccines nearly eliminated measles in the United States, you might wonder how this could happen. To get a hint, look at Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the US Secretary of Health.
RFK Jr., a vocal critic of vaccines, dismissed the events as “not unusual.” But it is unusual, and it is concerning. Measles is a totally preventable disease, and no child had died from measles in the US in over 20 years. Yet, the larger context is even more concerning: the US could be facing a turning point, rejecting the science that has saved millions of lives.
The New Normal?
The outbreak began quietly. Weeks ago, only a handful of people in a small West Texas community began showing suspicious symptoms: fever, cough, and a telltale rash. Then numbers started to climb. Now, more than 130 people have tested positive for measles, and that figure could be an understatement. According to the Associated Press, it’s one of the worst outbreaks in the 21st century.
The patient who died was reportedly unvaccinated. The symptoms developed quickly, jumping to fever and respiratory distress. When a certain point is reached and the virus triggers severe complications, even modern medicine can fail to save the patient.
Yet RFK Jr.’s remarks might lead you to believe that measles deaths are still a routine feature of American life. They are not. They used to be, before vaccination but that’s changed. In fact, before this current outbreak, you would likely struggle to find a single confirmed measles death within recent U.S. data. That speaks to the success of vaccination programs. It also underscores how misguided it can be to call such an event “not unusual.” Medical experts argue the opposite: every measles death in a developed country with easy vaccine access is a major red flag.
Of course, one may argue that the Health Secretary was being cynical. An outbreak of 130 people and “just” one fatality is not significant. Curiously, RFK Jr. mentioned two fatalities, though the second one hasn’t been confirmed by anyone. But even in this case, downplaying the risks is hardly responsible from a health official. When high-profile officials like RFK Jr. label a serious outbreak as “not unusual,” it can deter people from seeking the vaccine. However, given RFK’s history, this is not surprising.
Populism and Antivaccination Go Hand in Hand
During the mid-20th century, measles infected millions of Americans each year. Serious complications were common. Then the measles vaccine changed everything. As soon as the vaccine was introduced, cases dropped sharply. By the year 2000, health authorities declared measles “eliminated” from the U.S. That did not mean zero cases. Instead, it meant there was no continuous spread of the virus within the country.
But in recent years, anti-vaccination in the US has started to surge and, at least in part, it’s owed to influencers like RFK Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long history of spreading anti-vaccine misinformation, positioning himself as a critic of mainstream immunization programs. For years, he has asserted — without credible evidence — that vaccines are linked to developmental issues, particularly autism. Such claims date back to discredited research, and countless studies have refuted them.
It’s not just in the US. Before a deadly measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019, Kennedy’s non-profit (Children’s Health Defense) spread rampant misinformation about the measles vaccine. This campaign reduced vaccination from around 70% to just 31%. Even now, the Children’s Health Defense (which Kennedy no longer officially chairs) is spreading disinformation on vaccines, claiming that the vaccine is causing the disease, when the opposite is true.
Despite Kennedy’s claims that he is not against vaccines, his history tells a different story. Despite claiming he won’t go after vaccines in his confirmation hearing, he’s already doing it. He cancelled an important FDA flu vaccine meeting and paused a COVID-19 vaccination project. He previously said that vaccines were “not going to be taken away from anybody,” yet his actions suggest otherwise.
Misinformation All Over
“We are following the measles epidemic every day,” Kennedy said during a meeting with President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Yet he claimed that two people had died, while officials say there’s only been one. It’s not clear whether Kennedy knows something more or perhaps was not following the epidemic that closely; he has not clarified the statement since.
He also claimed that the people who have been hospitalized were mostly hospitalized for quarantine, when several children have required intensive care. He did not mention that all hospitalizations were unvaccinated children, and the claim that this is not unusual is, at best, misleading.
“We don’t hospitalize patients for quarantine purposes,” said Dr. Lara Johnson, the chief medical officer of Covenant Health Lubbock Service Area. “Quarantine is not something that would happen in a healthcare facility. We admit patients who need acute supportive treatment in our hospital.”
“Patients have been needing supplemental oxygen and respiratory support to help them get over viral pneumonia linked to the measles,” Johnson told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta last week.
The last time a child died of measles in the U.S. was 22 years ago, in 2003, according to the CDC, and the last time any measles death was confirmed in the US was in 2015. RFK has previously claimed that measles is not deadly and that it has been “fabricated” to get people to get vaccines.
Meanwhile, doctors on the ground in Texas are working to contain the outbreak. The BBC reports that local clinics are working overtime to administer vaccines. They offer free immunizations to those who lack insurance or the means to pay. County officials have closed some gathering places and asked residents to remain vigilant about any signs of fever or rash.
So, while the country’s health leader says it’s nothing special and the president fires key medical staff, doctors on the ground are raising alarms. Unfortunately, misinformation can undermine decades of work that drastically reduced, and nearly eradicated, measles in America. Measles vaccines have saved millions of lives worldwide yet the current US leadership seems inclined to abandon them for no fact-based reason.
Ultimately, the US will have to ask itself: how many children have to die before we actually follow the science?
