East County News Service
March 3, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Calling a measles outbreak now in nine states a “call to action,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has posted a message on the agency’s website titled “MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.”
Kennedy, a noted skeptic of some vaccines, is now urging all Americans to get vaccinated for measles. The CDC recommends that adults born after 1957 who received the vaccine before 1968 should get a booster shot.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 164 measles cases have been reported in nine different states, including Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas. In Texas, which has 146 cases since January, a child has died of measles and 20 patients have been hospitalized.
The World Health Organization reports that measles vaccination averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023. Yet even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available, in 2023, there were an estimated 107 500 measles deaths globally, mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under the age of 5 years.
Kennedy’s advisory states, “Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
He adds, “Prior to the introduction of the vaccine in the 1960s, virtually every child in the United States contracted measles. For example, in the United States, from 1953 to 1962, on average there were 530,217 confirmed cases and 440 deaths, a case fatality rate of 1 in 1,205 cases.”
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness with certain health risks, especially to unvaccinated individuals. An infected person can spread the disease by coughing, sneezing, or merely breathing. Early symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash. Most cases are mild, but rare complications can be severe, including pneumonia, blindness, and encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
The current Texas outbreak has predominantly affected children under age 18. Of the 146 Texas cases, 79 had never received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while 62 cases had unknown vaccine status. Only five had received an MMR vaccine.
Dr. Philip Huang, director of the Public Health Department for Dallas County, said the outbreak is primarily impacting a Mennonite community. "They have not been vaccinated in that community," Huang told Scripps News. "I understand there's 25,000 in that community, so it's a large population that's susceptible." Health officials warn that additional cases are likely
Kennedy says he has directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response to work closely with the Texas health authorities to provide comprehensive support including technical assistance, laboratory support, vaccines, and therapeutic medications. The CDC is in continuous communication with Texas health officials, ensuring a coordinated and effective response to contain the outbreak.
I have spoken with Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas health officials,” said Kennedy, adding, “ I have also spoken to the bereaved parents of the deceased child to offer consolation. As healthcare providers, community leaders, and policymakers, we have a shared responsibility to protect public health. This includes ensuring that accurate information about vaccine safety and efficacy is disseminated. We must engage with communities to understand their concerns, provide culturally competent education, and make vaccines readily accessible for all those who want them.”
In addition to vaccines, while there is no approved antiviral treatment for measles, Kennedy says the CDC recently updated their recommendation supporting administration of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician for those with mild, moderate, and severe infection. Studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.
“ The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” Kennedy notes, but adds, “Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.Tens of thousands died with, or of, measles annually in 19th Century America. By 1960 -- before the vaccine’s introduction -- improvements in sanitation and nutrition had eliminated 98% of measles deathslinks to an external website.”
In addition, he advises, “Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses. Vitamins A, C, and D, and foods rich in vitamins B12, C, and E should be part of a balanced diet.”
According to the CDC, symptoms of measles typically begin with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Two to three days after these initial symptoms, tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth.
For more information about measles, visit the CDC’s official website or contact your local health department.