Kennedy Takes Us Back, While Measles Continue to Spread in TX and NM

A Measles Outbreak is Spreading—And the Federal Response is Stuck in the Past

As a highly contagious measles outbreak spreads across West Texas and New Mexico, reaching 208 confirmed cases, the public health response should be crystal clear: get vaccinated. Instead, thanks to misinformation, political pandering, and a baffling return to long-debunked theories, the situation is spiraling in all the wrong directions.

The Growing Outbreak

Texas has reported 198 cases across nine counties, with 23 people hospitalized—most of them children and teenagers who are unvaccinated. Tragically, a 6-year-old child with no underlying conditions has already died. New Mexico, where officials are scrambling to contain the outbreak, has seen 10 cases so far, including an unvaccinated adult who died without ever seeking medical care.

The numbers alone are troubling, but what’s worse is that this outbreak was entirely preventable. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, thanks to routine vaccination. Yet, here we are—facing a surge of cases because of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

The Dangerous Nonsense in the Federal Response

At a time when health officials should be doing everything possible to stop measles from spreading, newly appointed U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—a long-time anti-vaccine advocate—is doing the exact opposite.

Kennedy downplayed the outbreak, calling it “not unusual,” and in an op-ed for Fox News, he failed to recommend vaccination outright, instead emphasizing parental choice, good nutrition, and supplements. Because apparently, vitamins now replace decades of immunization science.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly planning to study a completely debunked link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. That’s right—after decades of research disproving any connection, the CDC is considering wasting taxpayer money to revisit a conspiracy theory that has already caused enough damage.

Moving Backward

The result? A growing number of parents are ignoring vaccines in favor of home remedies like vitamin A and cod liver oil, thanks in part to Kennedy’s public endorsements.

To be clear:
• Vitamin A is NOT a measles vaccine. It is a treatment for severe cases, not a way to prevent the disease.
• High doses of vitamin A can be toxic. Overuse can cause liver damage, brain swelling, confusion, and coma, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

That hasn’t stopped Kennedy from promoting an unproven “treatment” regimen that includes steroids, antibiotics, and cod liver oil. One of the doctors he praised for this approach was previously disciplined by the Texas Medical Board for unsafe medical practices.

This is the kind of medical misinformation that puts lives at risk.

Science is Not Up for Debate

Public health officials in Texas and New Mexico are desperately trying to stop this outbreak. Both states are urging parents to get their children vaccinated immediately.

Even Texas health officials, who rarely take strong stances on public health issues, have made it clear:

Yet, the federal government’s response under Kennedy is sending the exact opposite message—sowing doubt about vaccines, revisiting old misinformation, and failing to push for the one thing that actually works: immunization.

We’ve Been Here Before—And We Know How This Ends

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses on the planet. It can linger in the air for up to two hours, infecting 90% of unvaccinated people who come near it. Complications include pneumonia, brain swelling, and death—all risks that were nearly eliminated by the MMR vaccine.

Yet, here we are again—watching the government re-litigate a false debate about vaccines, rather than focusing on stopping this outbreak before it spreads further.

As Senator Maggie Hassan put it:

And while the government stalls in the past, measles is spreading, people are getting sick, and children are dying.