RFK Jr. visits epicenter of Texas measles outbreak after death of second
child who was infected
[April 07, 2025]
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
visited the epicenter of Texas' still-growing measles outbreak on
Sunday, the same day a funeral was held for a second young child who was
not vaccinated and died from a measles-related illness.
Kennedy said in a social media post that he was working to “control the
outbreak" and went to Gaines County to comfort the families who have
buried two young children. He was seen late Sunday afternoon outside of
a Mennonite church where the funeral services were held, but he did not
attend a nearby news conference held by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention about the outbreak.
Seminole is the epicenter of the outbreak, which started in late January
and continues to swell — with nearly 500 cases in Texas alone, plus
cases from the outbreak believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma,
Kansas and Mexico.
The second young child died Thursday from "what the child's doctor
described as measles pulmonary failure,” and did not have underlying
health conditions, the Texas State Department of State Health Services
said Sunday in a news release. Aaron Davis, a spokesperson for UMC
Health System in Lubbock, said that the child was “receiving treatment
for complications of measles while hospitalized.”
This is the third known measles-related death tied to this outbreak. One
was another elementary school-aged child in Texas and the other was an
adult in New Mexico; neither were vaccinated.
It's Kennedy's first visit to the area as health secretary, where he
said he met with families of both the 6- and 8-year-old children who
died. He said he “developed bonds” with the Mennonite community in West
Texas in which the virus is mostly spreading.
Kennedy, an anti-vaccine advocate before ascending to the role of
nation’s top health secretary earlier this year, has resisted urging
widespread vaccinations as the measles outbreak has worsened under his
watch. On Sunday, however, he said in a lengthy statement posted on X
that it was “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles."
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more
than 60 years and is 97% effective against measles after two doses.
Dr. Manisha Patel, CDC incident manager, said in a Sunday news
conference that the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect against
measles. She also told parents in Gaines County that it was important
not to “delay care” for a child who is sick with measles.
“Call your doctor and make sure you’re talking to a health care
professional who can guide you on those next steps," Patel said.
Kennedy’s social media post said CDC employees had been “redeployed.”
CDC spokesman Jason McDonald clarified late Sunday that the first CDC
team arrived in early March and left Gaines County on April 1, while a
team led by Patel “was redeployed and arrived today to assess needs" as
ordered by Kennedy and requested by Texas' governor.
Asked about the outbreak Sunday by reporters on Air Force One, Trump
said, “they’re doing reports on it,” adding that if the outbreak
“progresses, we’ll will have to take action very strongly.”
Neither the CDC nor the state health department included the death in
their measles reports issued Friday, but the CDC acknowledged it when
asked Sunday.
The number of cases in Texas shot up by 81 between March 28 and April 4,
and 16 more people were hospitalized. Nationwide, the U.S. has more than
double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024.
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A measles sign is seen at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences
Center, Feb. 25, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez,
file)
 Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy
from Louisiana, a liver doctor whose vote helped cinch Kennedy’s
confirmation, called Sunday for stronger messaging from health
officials in a post on X.
“Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles.
No benefit to getting measles,” he wrote. “Top health officials
should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies.”
Cassidy has requested Kennedy to appear before his health committee
Thursday, although Kennedy has not publicly confirmed whether he
will attend.
A CDC spokesperson noted the efficacy of the measles vaccine Sunday
but stopped short of calling on people to get it. Departing from
long-standing public health messaging around vaccination, the
spokesperson called the decision a “personal one” and encouraged
people to talk with their doctor. People “should be informed about
the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines," the
spokesperson added.
Misinformation about how to prevent and treat measles is hindering a
robust public health response, including claims about vitamin A
supplements that have been pushed by Kennedy and holistic medicine
supporters despite doctors’ warnings that it should be given under a
physician's orders and that too much can be dangerous.
Doctors at Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, where the first
measles death occurred, say they've treated fewer than 10 children
for liver issues from vitamin A toxicity, which they found when
running routine lab tests on children who are not fully vaccinated
and have measles. Dr. Lara Johnson, chief medical officer, said the
patients reported using vitamin A to treat and prevent the virus.
Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration’s former vaccine
chief, said responsibility for the death rests with Kennedy and his
staff. Marks was forced out of the FDA after disagreements with
Kennedy over vaccine safety.
“This is the epitome of an absolute needless death,” Marks told The
Associated Press in an interview Sunday. “These kids should get
vaccinated — that’s how you prevent people from dying of measles.”
Marks also said he recently warned U.S. senators that more deaths
would occur if the administration didn’t mount a more aggressive
response to the outbreak.
Experts and local health officials expect the outbreak to go on for
several more months if not a year. In West Texas, the vast majority
of cases are in unvaccinated people and children younger than 17.
With several states facing outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable
disease — and declining childhood vaccination rates nationwide —
some worry that measles may cost the U.S. its status as having
eliminated the disease.
Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to
two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the
virus if exposed, according to the CDC. The first shot is
recommended for children ages 12 to 15 months, and the second for
ages 4 to 6 years.
___
Seitz reported from Washington. Photojournalist Annie Rice in
Seminole, Texas, and AP reporter Matthew Perrone in Washington
contributed to this report.
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