Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Was closed after he had triggered the death of a Texas-child from measles and said “it's not unusual” and that every year there are outbreaks of the very contagious disease. “
“We look at it,” said the Secretary of Health and Human Services Reporters during the first cabinet meeting of President Donald Trump on Wednesday. “About 20 people have been admitted to the hospital, mainly for quarantine.”
“It's not unusual,” he added. “We have outbreaks of measles every year.”
But the US had considered measles in 2000, which meant that a stopping of the disease disease had stopped for at least a year. However, there was an increase in cases in 2024.
Senator Ron Wyden, a democrat from Oregon who tried the confirmation of RFK Jr. To block, the reaction of the health secretary closed.
'Nothing about children who die from measles is normal. Anti-vaxxers such as RFK Jr. And the Republicans who make them possible are responsible for each of these dead, “Wyden wrote on X.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (second from the left) at the first cabinet meeting of President Donald Trump
Congressman Herb Conaway, a Democrat from New Jersey, who is a doctor, also had strong words for Kennedy.
'A child just died of measles – the first on mainland the US in a decade. I am not surprised that RFK Jr. finds this not unusual. His advocacy against vaccine led to killing in American measles in the American Samoa, “he wrote on X.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, a doctor who was an important mood for having Kennedy confirmed, expressed his concern about things but did not report Kennedy.
'Absolutely devastating news. Encourage parents to ensure that their child is aware of their vaccines. The measles vaccine is safe and effective, “he wrote on X.
'Measles is very serious and contagious, and it is important to ensure that you and your child are up -to -date in vaccines. This is especially important for pregnant women, “he noticed in an earlier post.
Kennedy, who is an avid anti-vaxxer, did not mention the measles vaccine, which was effective against the disease. He also did not report a federal response. State officials in Texas have taken the lead on the issue.
The school -going child, who was not vaccinated, was admitted to the hospital and died on Tuesday evening.
Death is the first attributed to measles in the US since 2015.
Texas is confronted with the biggest outbreak of measles in almost 30 years with 124 cases that are seen in nine provinces.
It also spread to New Mexico, with nine cases confirmed.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. The virus is transferred by direct contact with infectious drops or by spreading in the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.
The disease causes small white spots in the mouth, flat red spots on the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet, ear infections and an intense fever.
In extreme cases, measles can cause pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and can lead to death.
Members of the medical community went to social media to criticize Kennedy's leadership on the issue.
Dr. Alastair McAlpine, a pediatrician, wrote on X: 'Amazing lack of leadership. In the light of a measles epidemic that usually affects non -vaccinated people, the right response is to encourage vaccination! '
And Dr. Nathan Boonstra pointed out that a hospital would not put a measles patient in quarantine in quarantine because the disease is highly contagious.
“This is the kind of antivax -Mermisinfo to expect from him. People can quarantine at home in quarantine, hospitals do not want you to infect the vulnerable if you don't have to be there, “he wrote on X.
Cold -like symptoms, such as fever, cough and a runny nose or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles
A sign with the 'measles testing' lecture is seen as an outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, has expressed concern about its distribution to other parts of the state
Kennedy, as head of the Ministry of Health and Human Services, supervises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency responsible for the response to epidemics.
He also seemed like a mistake at the cabinet meeting and said that two people had died of the disease. A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau later clarified to the Associated Press that the CDC has only identified one death.
The virus is usually seen in the national oil-rig-stuck cities in West-Texas with various in the Mennonite community, said state officials.
Gaines County, which has reported 80 cases so far, has a strong home schooling and private school community. It is also the home base of one of the highest percentages of school -going children in Texas who have opted for at least one required vaccin, with almost 14% last school year skip a required dose.
The vaccination percentage for the country was 10 years almost 95% before it dropped to around 93% from 2020 during the COVID Pandemie.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine – which are safe and very effective in preventing infection and serious cases – is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old for the first shot, with the second between 4 and 6 years old.
The measles vaccine became available in 1963.
In the decade before that, almost all children received measles by the time they were 15 years old, according to the CDC. It is estimated that 3 to 4 million people in the United States are infected every year.
Mazles was declared from the United States in 2000, according to the CDC, which notes: “This was due to a very effective vaccination program in the United States, as well as better measles control in the American region.”
