As Measles Crisis Deepens, RFK Jr. Is Suddenly a Huge Fan of Vaccines

A second child has died as a result of a measles outbreak in West Texas, bringing the total number of people, who have succumbed to the highly contagious disease to three. It's a dire — and entirely preventable situation — given the existence of extremely effective and widely available vaccines for decades. That tremendous wealth of scientific evidence appears to have finally dawned on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary and noted anti-vaccine crackpot Robert Kennedy Jr. In a Sunday tweet, Kennedy noted that measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines are the "most effective way to prevent […]

Apr 8, 2025 - 00:34

As Measles Crisis Deepens, RFK Jr. Is Suddenly a Huge Fan of Vaccines

Department of Health and Human Services secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. appears to have finally understood that measles vaccines work.

A second child has died as a result of a measles outbreak in West Texas, bringing the total number of people who have succumbed to the highly contagious disease to three.

It's both a dire and preventable situation, given the existence of highly effective and widely available vaccines. And the tremendous wealth of scientific evidence supporting them appears to have finally dawned on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.

In a Sunday tweet, Kennedy correctly noted that measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines are the "most effective way to prevent the spread of measles."

As Stat points out, it's perhaps the most direct admission yet that Kennedy believes in the effectiveness of vaccines. The longtime figurehead of the anti-vaccine movement has previously downplayed them, even during the ongoing outbreak, instead recommending the use of Vitamin A — which has already led to parents accidentally sending their kids to the hospital.

Kennedy also told Fox News last month that getting the infectious disease was "normal" when he was a kid, suggesting that everybody should just get it. In reality, of course, the disease can have serious and lasting effects even after you recover.

As of Sunday, there are 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, according to the HHS.

Kennedy attempted to paint his moment of lucidity as part of a broader effort to mourn with a family who lost their eight-year-old daughter to the disease.

"My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief," Kennedy wrote.

Yet Kennedy quickly resumed his peddling of dodgy treatments for the hours later. In a late Sunday tweet, Kennedy called two doctors who had treated children with aerosolized budesonide and clarithromycin, a steroid and antibiotic respectively, "extraordinary healers." There's no scientific evidence suggesting either substance is an effective treatment for measles. The latter risks weakening the immune system further, as Stat reported.

Apart from being a major figure in the anti-vaccine movement for decades, Kennedy recently announced sweeping layoffs as part of a major restructuring effort of the HHS. Even that didn't go well; afterward, he was forced to admit that roughly 20 percent of those who were affected by the layoffs would "have to be reinstated because we'll make mistakes."

Public health officials are warning that if the virus continues to spread at its current pace, the US could soon lose its measles elimination status that it gained 25 years ago, the New York Times reports.

"To date, the federal response to the ongoing measles outbreak has been inappropriately focused on distracting and ineffective alternatives to the only truly effective prevention — measles vaccine," former top FDA vaccine regulator Peter Marks told the newspaper.

"This is a tragedy, an absolutely needless death," he added, referring to the second child to have succumbed to the disease.

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