President Donald Trump’s Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has stated he visited Texas after it was revealed a second little one had died of measles within the state.
Kennedy reportedly attended the kid’s funeral on Sunday.
The eight-year-old woman died early on Thursday morning from “measles pulmonary failure” whereas she was being handled at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas.
Her death is the second tied to a measles outbreak in West Texas and the second tied to the illness within the U.S. in a decade. Dozens of residents within the area — together with in bordering states — have been contaminated.
Kennedy wrote on X: “My intention was to come back down right here quietly to console the households and to be with the group of their second of grief.
“The simplest technique to forestall the unfold of measles is the M.M.R. vaccine “
The UMC Well being System stated on Sunday that the woman had not been vaccinated towards the illness and had no underlying well being circumstances that contributed to her loss of life.
The first death within the area was additionally an unvaccinated little one who died in February. There could also be a 3rd loss of life — an unvaccinated individual in New Mexico — who examined constructive for measles. Well being officers are nonetheless attempting to substantiate if measles was the person’s reason for loss of life.
West Texas has reported 480 instances of measles, leading to 56 hospitalizations, for the reason that outbreak started in January. Infections have sickened 54 individuals in New Mexico and one other 10 in Oklahoma.
Public well being officers within the area are predicting that the outbreak will proceed for a 12 months, placing the realm’s measles elimination standing — which it earned in 2000 — in danger.
Measles is extremely contagious. It will possibly linger within the air for as much as two hours after somebody contaminated has left a room and may unfold by breath, coughs, or sneezes.
Usually, measles signs—like rashes, excessive fevers, coughs, runny noses, and crimson eyes—will subside in a number of weeks. However in uncommon instances, it could trigger pneumonia, which is particularly harmful to youngsters, the aged, and people with compromised immune techniques.
The illness also can trigger mind swelling, which might trigger blindness, deafness, and mental disabilities.
Kennedy has faced criticism for his dealing with of the outbreak, particularly contemplating the HHS boss is a vocal vaccine skeptic. He has been broadly supportive of the measles vaccine however has additionally emphasised various and untested therapies to fight the illness, like utilizing cod liver oil.
Docs in Texas informed the Occasions that Kennedy’s endorsement of other therapies has contributed to some sufferers ready to hunt medical care whereas additionally consuming poisonous ranges of vitamin A.
Specialists are involved that the Trump administration’s resolution to drag funding from native well being departments may also improve the probability of enormous, multi-state outbreaks.
On Sunday, Dr Peter Marks, who resigned from his place on the Meals and Drug Administration the place he oversaw the company’s vaccine program, blamed Kennedy and his workers for the kid’s loss of life.
“That is the epitome of an absolute unnecessary loss of life,” Marks informed the Related Press on Sunday. “These youngsters ought to get vaccinated – that’s the way you forestall individuals from dying of measles.”
He stated that he warned the Senate that extra measles-related deaths would happen if the Trump administration refused to take extra aggressive motion to curb the outbreak.
The Senate well being committee has referred to as Kennedy to testify on Thursday.
One of many members of that committee is Republican Senator Invoice Cassidy, a physician and a vaccine proponent. Although he joined his Republican colleagues in confirming Kennedy throughout his listening to, he has taken a stronger stance on the necessity for vaccinations than the HHS head.
On Sunday, Cassidy issued an announcement saying that “everybody must be vaccinated.”
He stated there was “no profit to getting measles” and that “prime well being officers ought to say so unequivocally [before] one other little one dies.”
As of Friday, the U.S. has more than 600 measles instances this 12 months, greater than double the variety of instances in all of 2024.
Lubbock’s public well being director, Katherine Wells, informed NBC News that the precise variety of contaminated people is probably going a lot larger than what has been reported, as many who’re contaminated will not be getting examined for the sickness.
She stated that she and different well being officers are begging households to have their youngsters vaccinated towards measles.
In response to the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, simply two doses of the MMR vaccine are wanted for vaccination, and it’s 97 % efficient. The MMR vaccine is secure and has been safely administered to youngsters for many years.
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