Washington (Nexstar) – The Secretary for Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, who took part in the child’s funeral over the weekend, put on X that the federal government strengthens support to curb the outbreak into Texas, the epicenter of the escalate.
President Donald Trump, however, played down the outbreak during the remarks on Sunday.
“They make reports about it,” said Trump. “It’s as far as a fairly small number of people.”
At the beginning of April, the centers for the control and prevention of diseases in 22 states reported at least 607 measles cases, more than twice as high as with all total sums registered in all 2024.
“The numbers are not promising,” said Josh Michaud, expert in public health at KFF. “We see what we see due to the lack of vaccinations. There is every reason to assume that we will continue to see further measles cases in the future.”
Kennedy, a former vaccine skeptic during his presidential campaign, now calls on the public to maintain the measles vaccine and call it “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles”.
The house minority manager Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) said that the outbreak could have been avoided.
“HHS clearly doesn’t do enough,” said Jeffries. “These things have real consequences.”
The Republican Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, a doctor, also demands stronger measures. He wants Kennedy to say about the reaction and efforts of his agency to prevent further deaths before the congress.
Michaud agrees that the government’s news is not sufficient and argues that cuts in the federal health agencies will endanger the public.
“You know the steps of the White House, have so far undermined public health than public health,” he said. “We have seen announcements of financing cuts in state and local public health departments, including those in Texas and New Mexico, who are affected by the measles eruptions.”
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to an inquiry to get more information about its current operations in Texas.
