As the measles outbreak grows, HHS secretary says vaccination is an individual decision that can protect individuals and communities

With a measles outbreak in Texas increasing by 150 cases, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy did not explicitly recommend the vaccine, but said the outbreak was “a call for action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.”

“The decision to get vaccinated is individual,” Kennedy wrote. “Not only can the vaccine protect individual children from measles, but it also helps the community immunity, protecting those who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons.”

Kennedy’s statement on measles vaccination appears in the works after paragraphs that emphasize treatment, such as vitamin A, for those who are sick. No approved antiviral treatment for measles.

Kennedy also wrote that health care providers, leaders and policy makers need to ensure “accurate information about vaccine safety and efficacy. We must interact with the community to understand their concerns, provide education with cultural advantages, and make it easy for everyone who wants to get vaccinated.” In an article on X, Kennedy said HHS is providing technical support and vaccines to Texas, as well as lab support, low-German outreach materials, a language commonly used by the Mennonite community in West Africa, and daily communication with local officials.

Still, Kennedy’s vaccine reviews are in stark contrast to those of the former HHS SEC. Alex Azar during the last measles outbreak in 2019: “We can’t say that: a vaccine is a safe and efficient public health tool that prevents this disease and ends the current outbreak. The measles vaccine is one of the most medical products we have and is safely given to millions of children and adults every year. I encourage all Americans to talk to your doctor about which vaccines to recommend to protect you, your family and your community from measles and other preventable vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Kennedy has a history of antibacterial reviews, including saying “no vaccine is safe and effective” and that it relates the vaccine to an increase in autism. The study found that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are safe and effective: two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97%, and the study shows that there is no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. During the Texas outbreak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and local health officials continued to recommend vaccinations against measles.

However, the coverage of MMR vaccines nationwide is declining. For four years, the United States has not reached the 95% threshold set by HHS to help prevent highly contagious disease outbreaks.

The West Texas outbreak has resulted in 146 cases of measles since late January, most of whom are among those whose unvaccinated or vaccinated status is unknown. According to the Texas Department of Health Services, 20 patients were hospitalized and one died, and one unvaccinated school-age child. Officials say it was the biggest outbreak in the state in 30 years.

When asked about the outbreak during Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting last week, Kennedy said: “Measles outbreaks are not uncommon.” However, measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000. Experts say that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), experts still expect certain cases (especially import cases related to international travel) and that the United States reports at least twelve cases each year. But infectious disease experts and local health officials say the scale and speed of outbreaks in Texas is unusual because of the availability of vaccinations.

In the decade before the introduction of the MMR vaccine in 1963, between 400 and 500 measles died each year. Until the Texas child died, there have been no measles deaths in the United States since 2015, and the country has never seen measles deaths in children since 2003.

Measles cases have increased in recent years, with 285 U.S. cases reported last year, the most since 2019, when the outbreak between vaccinated communities in New York extended the outbreak, the CDC said. The decline in vaccination rates is driving the number of cases.

Neha Mukherjee, Jacqueline Howard and Meg Tirrell of CNN Health contributed to the report.

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