U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the epicenter of Texas\u2019 still-growing measles outbreak on Sunday, the same day a funeral was held for a second young child who was not vaccinated and died from a measles-related illness. <\/p>\n
Kennedy said in a social media post that he was working to \u201ccontrol the outbreak\u201d and went to Gaines County to comfort the families who have buried two young children.<\/p>\n
The outbreak, which started in late January, continues to swell \u2014 with nearly 500 cases in Texas alone, plus cases from the outbreak believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mexico. Seminole is the epicenter of the outbreak. The second young child died Thursday from \u201cwhat the child\u2019s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure,\u201d and did not have underlying health conditions, the Texas State Department of State Health Services said Sunday in a news release.<\/p>\n
Kennedy, an anti-vaccine advocate before ascending to the role of nation\u2019s top health secretary earlier this year, has resisted urging widespread vaccinations as the measles outbreak has worsened under his watch. On Sunday, however, he said in a lengthy statement posted on X that it was \u201cthe most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.\u201d The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more than 60 years and is 97% effective against measles after two doses.<\/p>\n
Dr. Manisha Patel, CDC incident manager, said in a Sunday news conference that the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect against measles. She also told parents in Gaines County that it was important not to \u201cdelay care\u201d for a child who is sick with measles. \u201cCall your doctor and make sure you\u2019re talking to a health care professional who can guide you on those next steps,\u201d Patel said.<\/p>\n
Asked about the outbreak Sunday by reporters on Air Force One, Trump said, \u201cthey\u2019re doing reports on it,\u201d adding that if the outbreak \u201cprogresses, we\u2019ll will have to take action very strongly.\u201d Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, a liver doctor whose vote helped cinch Kennedy\u2019s confirmation, called Sunday for stronger messaging from health officials in a post on X. \u201cEveryone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Misinformation about how to prevent and treat measles is hindering a robust public health response, including claims about vitamin A supplements that have been pushed by Kennedy and holistic medicine supporters despite doctors\u2019 warnings that it should be given under a physician\u2019s orders and that too much can be dangerous. Doctors at Covenant Children\u2019s Hospital in Lubbock, where the first measles death occurred, say they\u2019ve treated fewer than 10 children for liver issues from vitamin A toxicity.<\/p>\n
Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s former vaccine chief, said responsibility for the death rests with Kennedy and his staff. Marks was forced out of the FDA after disagreements with Kennedy over vaccine safety. \u201cThis is the epitome of an absolute needless death,\u201d Marks told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday. \u201cThese kids should get vaccinated \u2014 that\u2019s how you prevent people from dying of measles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The measles outbreak in Texas and its surrounding areas is a serious public health concern that requires immediate attention and action. With the number of cases continuing to rise and more deaths reported, it is essential that individuals, especially those in the affected areas, take necessary precautions, including getting vaccinated. The measles vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective, and its widespread use is crucial in preventing the spread of the disease.<\/p>\n
Introduction to the Outbreak U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the epicenter of Texas\u2019 still-growing measles outbreak on Sunday, the same day a funeral was held for a second young child who was not vaccinated and died from a measles-related illness. Kennedy said in a social media post that he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12400","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Measles_Outbreak_47905-1.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,933&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12400"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12400"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12402,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12400\/revisions\/12402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}