The Democratic Chairman of the Senate, Chuck Schumer (NY), asked the health and human services -Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately declare an emergency for public health for measles, and accused the Senior Trump Administration officials that he had not reacted to the rapid resurrection of the disease.
Schumer accused Kennedy in one blunt letter bluntly Friday of walking “Our country in the largest measles outbreak in the country for 33 years, which leads to a record of 25 years after the removal of this country.”
Schumer said what started as a localized outbreak in Texas was now in a nationwide health crisis with almost 1,300 Americans in 38 countries, which were reported that they were infected.
“In order to prevent this historical recording from rescue further and live, you should immediately declare an emergency for public health for measles,” Schumer wrote.
The democratic leader pressed his “deep concern” about Kennedy’s “reaction or are lacking in the rapid rescue of measles in the United States”.
“Under their lessons as secretaries, they undermined vaccines, gained the financing of public health and reduced the federal government to protect the Americans,” he wrote.
Schumer quoted the mass layoffs of federal employees, including scientists from infectious diseases, the freezing of grants and Kennedy’s, which freeze “careless and devastating” Overhaul of the Advice committee for immunization practices.
Kennedy last month All 17 members removed From the advisory committee, which leads the vaccine policy and recommendations for the centers for the control and prevention of diseases (CDC).
“As painful but relevant memory, they released disease experts, canceled the NIH research of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to hesitate to hesitate to relieve the country’s top immunization committee and stripped over 11 billion US dollars in the state of over 11 billion US dollars.
He said that this led to the fact that 50 vaccination clinics and 21 employees in public healthcare had lost in Dallas County alone.
Schumer noticed that measles is a very contagious virus, but it is also avoidable and in 2000 in the unbound countries after years of a nationwide campaign was declared to give children two doses of measles vaccine.
“This is a disaster of their own production. While families and health departments asked for help, they told the public that it is” not unusual “to see measles deaths. They pushed vitamin A instead of vaccines,” he said.
And he emphasized that Kennedy, even after Kennedy had recognized that the MMR vaccine prevents measles, continues to saw doubts about whether vaccines are associated with autism, which the democrat described as “dangerous, long-thin conspiracy theory”.
“Secretary Kennedy, the American people need a reaction of public health. Not political theater. Not conspiracy. Not silent,” Schumer wrote.
Some Republicans on the Capitol Hill examine their votes to confirm Kennedy in February.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La) was pressed on Thursday by a reporter for NBC News to “reconcile” his support for Kennedy’s nomination at the beginning of this year with his recognition that the vaccine “skepticism” contributed to the up-to-date enhance in measles infections.
“Let us first note that RFK [Jr.] It came out and told people that they should be vaccinated, so it is easily reconciled. He now says that people should be vaccinated for measles, ”said Cassidy.
Senator Thom Tillis (Rn.C.) was asked for his support for Kennedy during a CNN interview with Jake Tapper.
Tillis said to CNN: “The main reason why I supported Kennedy was that Bill Cassidy thought we should see how it works.”
Cassidy will be re -election next year and Tillis recently announced his retirement.
Schumer accused Kennedy in his letter on Friday, continued to undermine the country’s vaccine programs.
He asked the secretary to explain a nationwide emergency to expand resources and employ financing, personnel and other resources to limit the outbreak.
Schumer argued that Kennedy’s persistent skepticism compared to vaccine security, the termination of the national health grants for vaccination studies and the discharge of vaccine experts from the CDC had undoubtedly tightened the severity of measles failures. “
