RFK Jr.: Texas measles outbreak is call to action for vaccines, therapeutics

An outbreak of measles in Texas is a “call to action for all of us,” said the leader of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine “is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease,” in a statement published on the HHS website. He also said public health officials must supply current guidance on therapeutic medications, such as vitamin A that “can dramatically reduce measles mortality.”

“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 said.

Kennedy has become known in part for his work with Children’s Health Defense, an organization that has questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines widely given to children. Measles is the illness at the center of his involvement in public health in Samoa, where a 2019 outbreak claimed 83 lives, mostly small children, according to NBC News.

The situation in Texas

In his statement, Kennedy said he is deeply concerned about the measles outbreak that has sickened at least 146 people, and claimed the life of a school-aged child, mainly in the South Plains region of Texas. He noted it was the first measles-related death in the United States in more than a decade.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response are working with the Texas Department of State Health Services to supply technical assistance, laboratory support, vaccines, and therapeutic medications as needed, Kennedy said. He added he has spoken to the bereaved parents of the deceased child to offer consolation.

What health leaders must do

In Texas, 116 of 146 cases occurred in people younger than 18 years, and 79 of the cases involved people who had not received the MMR vaccine. At least five had received that shot, while 62 cases had unknown vaccine status, Kennedy’s statement said.

“As health care providers, community leaders, and policymakers, we have a shared responsibility to protect public health,” Kennedy wrote. “This includes ensuring that accurate information about vaccine safety and efficacy is disseminated. We must engage with communities to understand their concerns, provide culturally competent education, and make vaccines readily accessible for all those who want them.

“It is also our responsibility to provide up-to-date guidance on available therapeutic medications,” Kennedy’s statement said. “While there is no approved antiviral for those who may be infected, CDC has recently updated their recommendation supporting administration of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician for those with mild, moderate, and severe infection. Studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.

The history

Measles is highly contagious, spreading through direct contact with infectious droplets when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, Kennedy’s statement said. It was widespread in the United States, with nearly every child contracting the illness, before the vaccine was introduced in the 1960s. Most cases were mild, but complications can include pneumonia, blindness and encephalitis. It also can be fatal, with 440 deaths among 530,217 confirmed cases historically from 1953 to 1962, Kennedy’s statement said.

By 1960, improvements to sanitation and nutrition had eliminated 98% of measles deaths, Kennedy said. Healthy eating remains a best practice against most chronic and infectious diseases, he said. Vitamins A, C, and D, and foods rich in vitamins B-12, C, and E, all should be part of a balanced diet.

In 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the United States, but cases and outbreaks occur every year because the disease still is transmitted in countries of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America and Africa, according to CDC.