(Reuters) – U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday said he recognizes the serious impact of the current measles outbreak in Texas, in which a child died this week, and said the government is providing resources, including vaccines.
“Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team,” Kennedy said in a post on X. The secretary, who has for years sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of immunization, said the Department of Health and Human Services would send Texas 2,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine through its immunization program.
Earlier, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention upheld the role of vaccines in offering protection against measles after an unvaccinated child died from an infection this week. The death, reported on Wednesday, was the first U.S. fatality from the highly contagious disease in a decade. Government data showed a growing outbreak with more than 140 cases reported in Texas since late January.
The child’s death and the hospitalization of nearly 20 other patients in Texas have put Kennedy’s vaccine views to the test.
Kennedy founded the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense. However, he has denied being “anti-vaccine” and has said he would not prevent Americans from getting vaccinated.
A total of 164 measles cases were reported as of February 27, of which about 95% were from unvaccinated people, while 3% were from people who received only one of the two required shots for immunity, CDC data showed on Friday.
These cases were reported in nine jurisdictions, including Kentucky, marking a near 80% jump from 93 cases reported a week ago.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Alan Barona and David Gregorio)
