Kennedy, a long-time opponent of vaccines, stated that the MMR vaccine is “the most effective way” to combat the measles outbreak, which has already claimed the lives of two children in the U.S.
Despite his long history of vaccine criticism, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now says immunizations are an effective way to combat the measles outbreak in the U.S.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy wrote in an X post on Sunday, referring to the shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Kennedy said that in early March, he had deployed a public health team to Texas, the epicenter of the outbreak, to supply clinics and pharmacies with the MMR vaccines and work with schools and other health facilities.
Kennedy’s about-face on vaccines comes as the measles outbreak claims its second pediatric casualty. On Sunday, the Texas Health Department said that another child had died of the infection. The patient, who was of school age, did not have underlying conditions and was not vaccinated against measles. The first measles mortality in this recent outbreak came last month, also in an unvaccinated child, who became the first patient to die of measles in the U.S. since 2015.
One adult, likewise unvaccinated, has also died in the current outbreak.
Kennedy has long spoken against vaccines, a fact that many lawmakers focused on during his confirmation hearings. Still, he was confirmed in February as Secretary of Health and Human Services in a vote that largely fell along party lines.
Since assuming leadership of the HHS, the department has suffered several high-level, vaccines-related disruptions. In February, for instance, vaccine advisory panel meetings for the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were postponed or outright cancelled without explanation. Then, last week, the FDA missed its PDUFA deadline for issuing a verdict on Novavax’s COVID-19 shot for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
Perhaps most prominent, however, is the resignation of Peter Marks as head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. During his tenure, Marks became known as the country’s foremost vaccines expert and a strong proponent of accelerated approval and regulatory flexibility, particularly regarding gene therapies for rare diseases. Late last month, the Trump administration gave Marks an ultimatum to step down or be fired, according to media reports.
In his resignation letter, Marks reiterated that he was willing to work with the current HHS leadership and address Kennedy’s concerns regarding vaccine safety. “However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” he wrote.
