Well being and Human Companies (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s private go to to the household of a Texas lady who died of measles appeared to mark a slight shift for the previous anti-vaccine activist, who has sought to downplay the seriousness of the outbreak.
Public well being and infectious illness consultants who’ve sounded alarm over the Trump administration’s lackluster measles response gave Kennedy some credit score for lastly saying the measles vaccine is the “most effective way to prevent the spread” of the illness.
However that message is undercut by Kennedy’s continued blended messages, public well being funding cuts and the muzzling of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), consultants added.
“We are seeing at least some sign this administration understands they need to respond more appropriately,” mentioned Jason Schwartz, an affiliate professor and vaccine researcher on the Yale College of Public Well being.
“It’s encouraging that there was an acknowledgement of basic public health knowledge, but it reminds us of just how little we’ve heard from this administration about the benefits of vaccination,” Schwartz added. “It’s noteworthy that the acknowledgement was the stuff of headlines.”
Kennedy mentioned the CDC has redeployed a staff to help state and native officers with the outbreak, which has sickened greater than 500 folks in Texas alone. It has additionally unfold to a daycare facility in Lubbock, the place at the least 6 youngsters have examined constructive for measles.
Katherine Wells, director of public well being for the town of Lubbock, advised reporters Tuesday one in all her largest worries has been a measles outbreak amongst weak teams like youngsters who’re too younger to be vaccinated.
Wells mentioned state and native well being departments now suggest an early dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to infants between six and 11 months outdated. They’re additionally working to make sure youngsters between the ages of 1 and 4 years get a second dose.
Requested concerning the severity of the outbreak on Sunday, President Trump indicated he wasn’t very involved.
“It’s so far a fairly small number of people relative to what we’re talking about,” he mentioned. “This is not something new.”
“And we’ll see what happens, but certainly, if it progresses, we’ll have to take action very strongly,” Trump mentioned.
Kennedy equally indicated the outbreak is easing, a truth belied by the numbers on the bottom.
Andrew Pavia, a professor and pediatric infectious illness professional on the College of Utah, mentioned the administration isn’t taking the outbreak critically, and one social media put up from the HHS secretary received’t minimize it.
Pavia mentioned the CDC remains to be being hampered in the way it can reply, on account of the exterior communications blackout instituted when the Trump administration took workplace.
“With an outbreak of this dimension, help and management from CDC are important however has been largely absent. CDC has apparently not been permitted to behave as a trusted voice or to offer frequent updates to clinicians and the general public,” he mentioned.
In March, the CDC buried a measles forecast that pressured the necessity for vaccinations, in keeping with a report by ProPublica. Leaders ordered workers to not launch the professional evaluation that discovered the chance of catching measles is excessive in areas close to outbreaks the place vaccination charges are lagging.
The outbreak represents the primary time Kennedy has needed to reconcile his previous as a number one critic of vaccines and his management of the federal well being institution.
Thus far, Kennedy has touted fringe theories about prevention and therapy, like the advantages of vitamin A and cod liver oil over the measles vaccine, which is the one confirmed method to forestall an infection.
When he has talked concerning the shot, he’s framed it as a private alternative whereas additionally suggesting the vaccine may cause simply as a lot hurt because the illness itself.
Kennedy’s social media put up got here solely after a second unvaccinated youngster died from measles, and after a prime Senate Republican mentioned “top health officials” ought to “unequivocally” promote vaccination.
“Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles,” Sen. Invoice Cassidy (R-La.) mentioned in a put up on the social platform X.
Cassidy, chair of the Senate Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions Committee, had beforehand questioned Kennedy’s anti-vaccine previous and expressed concern about his skill to guide HHS earlier than ultimately voting to substantiate him.
Hours after Kennedy’s put up on X speaking about vaccination, he additionally highlighted the work of two docs treating contaminated youngsters with steroids and an antibiotic, remedies that physicians say are ineffective and never advisable.
Trump referred to as the docs “extraordinary healers.” One of many docs mentioned in a podcast final month that “it’s clear” the MMR vaccine causes autism, a debunked concept that Kennedy continued to advertise all through his affirmation course of.
Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of the Heart for Infectious Illness Analysis and Coverage on the College of Minnesota, mentioned he wasn’t shocked that Kennedy promoted anti-vaccine docs instantly after his most direct assertion but on the advantages of the measles shot.
“Show me a pattern of responsible science-based statements, and I’ll have more understanding of where he’s at. But right now, I don’t think one statement in any way determines what his approach is to dealing with vaccine-preventable diseases,” Osterholm mentioned.
