During a visit to Texas, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as the most reliable method to stop measles from spreading. He traveled there to offer comfort to the grieving family of an 8-year-old girl who died from the illness.
“I came to¬ Gaines County, Texas, today to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy,” Kennedy shared on X. “My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief.”
Kennedy also noted that he had been in contact with Texas officials and assured them of federal support while encouraging the use of the MMR vaccine.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy wrote in his post. “I’ve spoken to Governor Abbott, and I’ve offered HHS’ continued support. At his request, we have redeployed CDC teams to Texas. We will continue to follow Texas’ lead and to offer similar resources to other affected jurisdictions.”
If confirmed, this would mark only the second measles-related death in the United States since 2015. According to The New York Times, the young girl passed away early Thursday morning from “measles pulmonary failure.” The hospital confirmed that she had not received the MMR vaccine and had no preexisting conditions.
The first fatality from the current outbreak happened in late February. At that time, Kennedy, despite his background of skepticism toward vaccines, made comments that appeared to minimize the scale of the situation.
“We are following the measles epidemic every day,” Kennedy said at the time. “Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country. Last year, there were 16. So it’s not unusual, we have measles outbreaks every year.”
Since then, Kennedy has drawn criticism from some corners for what they see as a lack of strong messaging about the proven effectiveness and safety of the MMR vaccine.
{Matzav.com}