Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing pushback from his Make America Healthy Again fans after endorsing the measles vaccine as “the most effective way to prevent the spread.”
Kennedy, known for his long history of making anti-vaccine statements, endorsed the MMR vaccine after visiting Texas, where a second child died from complications related to measles.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” he wrote on X.
The statement surprised many since it deviated from Kennedy’s long-standing skepticism towards established medical beliefs such as vaccine safety and efficacy, pharmaceuticals and more. Kennedy’s followers, who support his medical skepticism, criticized his sudden U-turn.
“What’s the point of you writing an entire book about dangers of long term side effects of untested vaccines if you aren’t going to mention it once in power?,” a follower named Jay Scott wrote.
”You really make a great poster boy for Big Pharma. So much for ‘MAHA’. GROSS,” a follower wrote.
Del Bigtree, Kennedy’s former communications chief and CEO of an anti-vaccine group, pushed back on his statement. “Your post got cut off,” he said. “The MMR is also one of the most effective ways to cause autism.”
Numerous studies have found that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Despite this, Kennedy has hired a vaccine skeptic to head up government research on vaccines and autism.
Mary Bowden, a doctor who was suspended from a hospital for promoting Covid-19 misinformation, told Kennedy, “I’m sorry, but we voted for challenging the medical establishment, not parroting it.”
The anti-vaccine nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, which Kennedy founded and served as chairman, also distanced itself from his statement.
“What he says does not speak for Children’s Health Defense in any way at this point,” the organization’s CEO Mary Holland said.
It is the first time Kennedy had promoted vaccines the start of a measles outbreak in Texas.
West Texas is currently the epicenter of a nationwide measles outbreak. There have been more than 500 cases as of April 10.
Kennedy did not endorse vaccines after the first child died; instead, he claimed he was sending vitamin A treatment to the epicenter of the measles outbreak. Doctors rebuff the claim that vitamin A can prevent a person from contracting measles, or be solely used to treat the disease.
Rather, people deficient in vitamin A could be at higher risk of developing complications or dying if they contract measles. While treating measles, doctors may administer vitamin A doses to help reduce any severe complications.
After Kennedy promoted the use of vitamin A, several children were treated for vitamin A toxicity.
The American Public Health Association called Kennedy a “danger to the public’s health,” citing his promotion of “unscientific theories” and reduction of funding and staff to treat public health crises.
“Americans deserve better than someone who is trying to impose his unscientific and judgmental view of public health and science. We deserve better than RFK, Jr. He demonstrated his incompetence in only a few weeks,” APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin wrote.
Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told the Wall Street Journal she was not convinced Kennedy has embraced vaccinations.
“It’s checking a box,” Adalja said. He believes if Kennedy had changed his position on vaccines, “he would enunciate the reasons for it.”
