Backtracking on some of his previous controversial statements about vaccines, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now urging Americans to get vaccinated as cases of the highly-contagious measles continues to grow in parts of the country.
In an op-ed published Sunday by Fox News, Kennedy called the recent outbreak a "call to action for all of us" and said getting vaccinated is "crucial" to combating the potentially deadly disease.
"As healthcare providers, community leaders, and policymakers, we have a shared responsibility to protect public health," he wrote. "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."
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Kennedy went on to say that "the decision to vaccinate is a personal one," but added that 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."
According to most recent data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 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.
The worst of the outbreaks is in the South Plains region of Texas, where the Department of State Health Services is reporting 146 cases since late January. According to officials, 20 of those patients have been hospitalized and at least one person — a school-aged child — has died.
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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, meanwhile, are warning that additional cases are likely, citing the highly contagious nature of the measles virus.
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.
