Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sits atop the very health system he spent years attacking, and now he faces his first big challenge: a deadly measles outbreak in West Texas.
Measles cases are popping up across the United States, including an outbreak in Texas that has led to the death of a child.
Public health experts said that although it’s true we have measles cases in the U.S. every year, the latest outbreak is concerning.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 10.3 million people were infected with measles and 107,500 died. Most were unvaccinated people or children younger than five. Cases were most common in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia where incomes are low and health services insufficient.
The number of confirmed measles cases in western Texas grew to 146, and it is possibly spreading to the central part of the state and neighboring New Mexico, health officials said Friday.
“Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus. During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia,” Texas DSHS said in a news release.
“We have measles outbreaks every year,” he added. Mr. Kennedy has also said in the past that immunizations against measles and some other infectious diseases are unnecessary and risky.