Rational people who believe in science and modern medicine have been more than a little nervous about RFK Jr.‘s new position as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and now a measles outbreak in the U.S. has put him in the spotlight.
One child living in West Texas, who is unvaccinated, has passed away after getting measles. The CDC reported there are 93 cases of measles in 8 parts of the U.S.: Texas, Rhode Island, New York City, New Mexico, Georgia, Alaska, New Jersey, and California (as of Feb. 20, 2025). During Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting, RFK Jr. said of “it’s not unusual” and “We have measles outbreaks every year.”
Yes, it is unusual! As CNN reported, no one has passed away from measles since 2015, and that was a woman who lived in Washington. Despite RFK Jr.’s casual attitude, it’s absolutely a cause for alarm. While there have been times when there are more measles cases than others, the CDC reported that the U.S. got rid of measles in 2000. As the CDC explains on their website, “Achieving measles elimination status in the United States was a historic public health achievement.” Unfortunately, those cases started rising again, and there were 285 cases in 2024. 42% of the cases, or 120, happened in kids younger than five. The CDC decided in 1978 that they would get rid of measles by 1982, and although that didn’t happen, they had 80% fewer cases in 1981 than in 1980.
It’s important to remember that measles was fatal for kids before the vaccine. As the CDC explains, around 6,000 people died of measles within the first ten years that they were officially tracked. 400-500 people passed away from measles annually and 3-4 million Americans got measles annually, too. From 1953 to 1963, it was common for almost every child to be infected with measles before their 15th birthday. So, it’s easy to see that the 1963 vaccine was a huge deal… and it’s unimaginable that some parents won’t allow their kids to get it.
Although RFK Jr. might claim “We are following the measles epidemic every day,” that’s not going to cut it. RFK Jr. has added a lot to the disappointing anti-vaccine rhetoric that has gotten stronger since the COVID-19 pandemic and he has repeated the false claim that vaccines cause autism. He has also championed raw milk. So, besides the recent bird flu cases and now the measles, there’s a lot to worry about.
As one Reddit user pointed out, RFK Jr.’s response to the recent measles outbreak was shameful. They wrote: “First death of a child in 10 years, and he couldn’t take the time out to express his condolences to the family. It’s absolutely shocking.” This is particularly gross considering he has used his platform to comment on children’s health. But, like his claim that measles cases are nothing to be concerned about, he’s not on the right track. He said 6% of kids suffered from food allergies, asthma, diabetes, and autoimmune disease in the 1960s compared to 60% of kids now. Johns Hopkins prof. Christina Bethell told the CBC she’s unsure how he has those numbers, because surveys on the health of kids weren’t taken in the 1960s.
Going on and on about Making America Healthier Again and acting like red food dye is the problem isn’t what people need. It’s horrible that a Health Secretary is more focused on his new enemy of SSRIs instead of the tragedy of a child dying from measles, and it’s no wonder that parents are concerned.
Published: Feb 27, 2025 10:39 am