After building a career denouncing vaccines, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reversed course Sunday.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy posted on X.
Kennedy’s change comes on the heels of an outbreak of measles cases that include the death of a second child from the disease, per Politico.
The second victim, a girl, was not vaccinated and did not have any underlying health conditions, according to the Texas Department of State Health.
Watch:
— Miller Liu (Fo
A second child in Texas has died with measles, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. There have been at least 499 reported cases and 56 hospitalizations so far. pic.twitter.com/AFxU5ljjE2
) (@MillerLiu10) April 7, 2025
The first child died on Feb. 26 in Texas.
The U.S. had not recorded a measles-related death in a decade, per the outlet.
“As of today, there are 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, 499 of those in Texas,” Kennedy posted.
Just last month, Kennedy was promoting the alleged dangers of the measles vaccine.
“It does cause deaths every year,” Kennedy said regarding the MMR vaccine in an opinion piece on Fox News. “It causes all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, etcetera. And so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves.”
Those in the medical field have said otherwise.
“The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is extraordinarily safe and effective,” Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, said last month.
Kennedy has claimed also the use of cod liver oil and other treatments as alternatives to the vaccine.
While cod liver oil helps replenish vitamin A, “it should be noted that vitamin A does not prevent measles,” according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “It is not appropriate for parents to use vitamin A as a preventative measure.”
