As measles cases soar, RFK Jr. declares war on science

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Over 250 people across multiple states have been infected with measles this year and two people have died. The vast majority of these cases are centered in areas with low vaccination rates. According to a March 7 release by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most of the cases “are among children who had not received the MMR vaccine,” which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Measles is incredibly contagious and dangerous. Before the vaccine was widely available, “measles was the single leading killer of young children globally.” Fortunately, the MMR vaccine is highly effective and safe. Two doses of the vaccine provide 97% effectiveness against measles, and one shot provides 93% effectiveness, according to the CDC. The vaccine is so effective that in 2000 the disease was declared eliminated in the United States. But in recent years, vaccination rates have fallen, and measles cases have been on the rise.

The scientifically proven way to get the widespread outbreak of measles under control is to increase vaccination rates. But instead, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), is spreading misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

On Tuesday, in an interview on Fox News, Kennedy, who has called getting vaccinated a “personal” decision, stoked fear about the safety of the MMR vaccine. Kennedy stated that there were “adverse events from the vaccine,” claiming that it “cause[s] deaths every year” and “causes all the illnesses that measles itself cause[s].” According to the CDC, however, the MMR vaccine “is much safer than getting measles, mumps, or rubella.” The vaccine has also saved millions of lives. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that immunization efforts “averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023.”

In the Fox News interview, Kennedy downplayed the risks of the disease, claiming that “it used to be… everybody got measles. And measles gave you lifetime protection against measles infection.” Kennedy argued there were benefits of getting infected, stating that previously infected women used to provide children with immunity through breast milk. Kennedy has also said that it is “very, very difficult for measles to kill a healthy person,” suggesting that deaths from the disease are linked to poor health and diet. This is not true. The disease kills between one to three out of every thousand people infected in the United States.

Kennedy has used the measles outbreak to promote alternative remedies that have not been proven effective against the disease. Kennedy announced that the HHS would conduct clinical trials of alternative treatments for measles, including a steroid, an antibiotic, and cod liver oil, due to its high levels of vitamin A. Kennedy said that he had heard that these treatments caused “miraculous and instantaneous recovery.”

According to experts, these remedies are not recommended for treating measles and are not an effective substitute for the vaccine. While health experts do recommend vitamin A for people who already have measles, it is “most useful… in patients who have a specific deficiency," and the “studies mainly draw on evidence from low-income countries where that deficiency is common,” CNN reported. Under “1 percent of the population” in the U.S. has a vitamin A deficiency. Moreover, cod liver oil “makes it difficult to administer precise amounts,” and it can be dangerous to take excess amounts of vitamin A. A doctor in Gaines County, Texas, which has the most cases of measles in the state, told the New York Times that Kennedy promoting these treatments was “100 percent going to make it harder” to minimize the outbreak.

Kennedy has downplayed the severity of the measles outbreak, which is the worst outbreak Texas has seen in over 30 years, on multiple occasions. In February, Kennedy said that “we have measles outbreaks every year” and that it was “not unusual.”

While Kennedy is spreading misinformation and stoking fear about the safety of vaccines, federal health organizations are implementing longer-term policies that will likely undermine vaccination rates even further.

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The plan to undermine vaccine confidence

To secure key votes for his confirmation as HHS secretary by the Senate, Kennedy made promises to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who was a physician for 30 years, that he would not make changes to key vaccine committees and policies within HHS. In a speech to the Senate about his decision to vote in Kennedy’s favor, Cassidy said that “vaccines save lives. They are safe. They do not cause autism.” He said that he had discussed the multitude of studies that found no link between vaccines and autism with Kennedy and that Kennedy promised not to remove statements on the CDC website saying that vaccines do not cause autism.

So far, those statements remain on the CDC website, but HHS, under Kennedy’s leadership, has taken several steps that will undermine vaccine confidence. The CDC has said it will conduct a new study about the thoroughly debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. (Trump’s pick for CDC director recently told Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) that he believes vaccines do cause autism.)

Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is eliminating or restricting funding for 40 studies about the causes of declining vaccination rates in the U.S. and how to increase vaccine confidence. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine skepticism has increased and the number of American kindergarteners who have received the measles vaccine has decreased — putting even more children at risk of serious illness or death. Research about how more parents can be convinced that vaccines are safe for their children would save lives.

In addition to promising Cassidy that he would not stoke fears about autism and vaccines, Kennedy also promised not to make changes to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). However, in February, one of ACIP’s three annual meetings — during which the committee was set to review several vaccines — was cancelled. A similar meeting of a vaccine advisory committee within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was also cancelled.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering cancelling a contract with Moderna to develop a human bird flu vaccine. It is also considering pulling funding for research on mRNA vaccines, which Kennedy has criticized. Numerous studies have affirmed that mRNA vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, are safe.

UPDATE: On Thursday morning, the White House withdrew its nomination for CDC Director.