RFK Jr. touts MMR vaccine following second US measles death

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Texas after a measles outbreak and confirmed a child’s death. He backed the MMR vaccine as essential for preventing the disease — a shift from his earlier skepticism.
• Health officials said most cases involve unvaccinated individuals, and doctors have treated several children for vitamin A toxicity linked to unproven remedies.
• The CDC has deployed teams to support Texas health officials with vaccine distribution and medical aid, and public health experts have called for stronger messaging to promote vaccination.

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Texas faces a growing measles outbreak that has killed two children and sickened nearly 500 people.

Cases linked to the outbreak have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico. Texas health officials said most cases involve unvaccinated individuals in a West Texas religious community with low immunization rates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 600 measles cases have been reported this year — more than twice the total in 2024 and the highest since 2019.

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Who has died?

The latest death was an 8-year-old girl in Lubbock who died Thursday, April 3, from measles-related pulmonary failure. She had no underlying conditions and was not vaccinated.

In February, a 6-year-old girl from a Mennonite community became the first U.S. child to die of measles in over a decade. An unvaccinated adult in New Mexico also died from the virus.

Doctors at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock said they’d treated several children for vitamin A toxicity, which they linked to unproven remedies circulated during the outbreak.

How has the government responded?

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Texas on Sunday, April 6, meeting with families and confirming the child’s death.

In Seminole, Texas, with Jake and Tina Fehr whose 2-year-old daughter, Helena was just discharged after three weeks in the ICU, Peter and Eva Fehr whose daughter, Kayley, 6, passed in February, and Pete and Eva Hildebrand whose daughter, Daisy, 8, we buried this afternoon. I also… pic.twitter.com/BjErlRkCJX

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 7, 2025

He called the MMR vaccine “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles,” a shift from his earlier reluctance to promote vaccination.

CDC teams have been deployed to support Texas health officials with vaccine distribution and medical aid.

What have health officials urged?

Public health experts and lawmakers have called for stronger messaging.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said top officials should recommend vaccination. The CDC said two MMR doses are 97% effective and reduce the risk of severe illness.

Despite the surge, federal messaging has emphasized personal choice, encouraging people to consult doctors.

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What are the risks of measles?

Measles spreads through the air and on surfaces, with symptoms including rash, fever and cough. It can lead to serious complications like pneumonia or brain swelling.

The CDC said 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to measles will become infected.

Health experts warned that declining vaccination rates could jeopardize the U.S.’s measles elimination status, first achieved in 2000.