Texas records its first measles death since 2015, but RFK Jr. Insists outbreaks are nothing new

A school-aged child has died in Texas from measles, marking the first U.S. fatality from the virus in nearly a decade. Yet, instead of sounding the alarm, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. downplayed the outbreak, insisting it was “not unusual” and comparing it to previous years.

Kennedy made the remarks during President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting of his second term, where he was asked about the alarming surge in cases. At least 124 people have been infected in the South Texas outbreak, and 18 have been hospitalised, according to the Texas Department of Health.

“We’re watching it, and there are about 20 people hospitalised, mainly for quarantine,” Kennedy said. “We put out a post on it yesterday, and we’re going to continue to follow it.”

Kennedy, a longtime vaccine sceptic, brushed off concerns, pointing out that the U.S. sees multiple measles outbreaks every year. “Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country—last year over 16. So it’s not unusual to have measles outbreaks every year,” he added.

But Kennedy’s claims distort the reality of the disease’s resurgence. Measles was officially declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000 due to widespread vaccination efforts. For nearly two decades, cases remained minimal, with occasional infections linked to travellers. However, declining vaccination rates have led to a resurgence, with the U.S. nearly losing its measles elimination status in 2019 after a major outbreak in New York and other states.

The CDC has warned that global measles cases are rising after a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the U.S., vaccination rates among kindergartners have dropped from 95.2% in the 2019–2020 school year to 92.7% in 2023–2024, leaving approximately 280,000 young children vulnerable.

While Kennedy insists multiple outbreaks occur every year, the scale of this one is concerning. The Texas outbreak alone has already accounted for nearly half of all reported measles cases so far in 2024—and it’s only February. Fatalities are rare in developed nations with strong healthcare systems, but when they do happen, they underscore the risks of declining vaccination coverage.

Kennedy has long dismissed concerns about measles, treating the virus as a benign childhood illness rather than a serious threat. In 2021, he wrote in a foreword for a book published by his anti-vaccine nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, that the public had been misled into believing “measles is a deadly disease” and that vaccines were necessary and safe. He claimed the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies had “fabricated” outbreaks to scare parents into compliance.

His rhetoric has had real-world consequences. In 2019, his organisation stoked fears about the measles vaccine in Samoa following a tragic medical error that resulted in two children dying from improperly administered shots. Public panic, fuelled by misinformation, led to a vaccination slowdown. Soon after, a measles outbreak swept through the country, killing 83 people.

Now, with Kennedy in charge of the U.S. health system, his influence could prove disastrous. Experts fear his scepticism will further erode public trust in vaccines, allowing preventable diseases to spread unchecked.

As the Texas outbreak worsens, health officials stress the importance of vaccination in preventing further deaths. But with a health secretary who views the measles threat as overblown, the U.S. may be on the brink of a public health crisis.