RFK Jr. visits West Texas as a second child is buried after dying from a measles-related illness

AP U S Fitness Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr traveled to West Texas on Sunday after a second elementary school-aged child who was not vaccinated died from a measles-related illness Ahead of a Make America Healthy Again tour across southwestern U S Kennedy mentioned in a social media post that he was in Gaines County to comfort the families who have buried two young children Kennedy explained he was working with Texas robustness bureaucrats to control the measles outbreak Seminole is the epicenter of the outbreak which started in late January and continues to swell with nearly cases in Texas alone plus cases from the outbreak thought to have spread to New Mexico Oklahoma Kansas and Mexico The second young child died Thursday from what the child s medical professional described as measles pulmonary failure and did not have underlying physical condition conditions the Texas State Department of State Wellness Services announced Sunday in a news release Aaron Davis a spokesperson for UMC Strength System in Lubbock mentioned that the child was receiving healing for complications of measles while hospitalized This is the third known measles-related death tied to this outbreak One was another elementary school-aged child in Texas and the other was an adult in New Mexico neither were vaccinated It s Kennedy s first visit to the area as physical condition secretary where he mentioned he met with families of both the - and -year-old children who died He reported he developed bonds with the Mennonite public in West Texas in which the virus is mostly spreading Kennedy an anti-vaccine advocate before ascending to the role of nation s top strength secretary earlier this year has resisted urging widespread vaccinations as the measles outbreak has worsened under his watch On Sunday however he revealed in a lengthy declaration posted on X that it was the largest part effective way to prevent the spread of measles The measles mumps and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more than years and is effective against measles after two doses U S Centers for Sickness Control and Prevention teams have been redeployed Kennedy added Sunday although the nation s society wellbeing agency never relayed it had pulled back Neither the CDC nor the state vitality department included the death in their measles reports issued Friday but the CDC acknowledged it when questioned Sunday The number of cases in Texas shot up by between March and April and more people were hospitalized Nationwide the U S has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of Republican U S Sen Bill Cassidy from Louisiana a liver healthcare provider whose vote helped cinch Kennedy s confirmation called Sunday for stronger messaging from healthcare authorities in a post on X Everyone should be vaccinated There is no recovery for measles No benefit to getting measles he wrote Top wellbeing agents should say so unequivocally b another child dies Cassidy has requested Kennedy to appear before his healthcare committee Thursday although Kennedy has not publicly authenticated whether he will attend A CDC spokesperson noted the efficacy of the measles vaccine Sunday but stopped short of calling on people to get it Departing from long-standing constituents physical condition messaging around vaccination the spokesperson called the decision a personal one and encouraged people to talk with their physician People should be informed about the foreseen risks and benefits associated with vaccines the spokesperson added Misinformation about how to prevent and treat measles is hindering a robust community soundness response including asserts about vitamin A supplements that have been pushed by Kennedy and holistic medicine supporters despite doctors warnings that it should be given under a physician s orders and that too much can be dangerous Doctors at Covenant Children s Hospital in Lubbock where the first measles death occurred say they ve treated fewer than children for liver issues from vitamin A toxicity which they determined when running routine lab tests on children who are not fully vaccinated and have measles Dr Lara Johnson chief medicinal officer stated the patients communicated using vitamin A to treat and prevent the virus Dr Peter Marks the Food and Drug Administration s former vaccine chief declared responsibility for the death rests with Kennedy and his staff Marks was forced out of the FDA after disagreements with Kennedy over vaccine safety This is the epitome of an absolute needless death Marks advised The Associated Press in an interview Sunday These kids should get vaccinated that s how you prevent people from dying of measles Marks also mentioned he in recent weeks warned U S senators that more deaths would occur if the administration didn t mount a more aggressive response to the outbreak Experts and local fitness officers expect the outbreak to go on for several more months if not a year In West Texas the vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated people and children younger than With several states facing outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable complaint and declining childhood vaccination rates nationwide specific worry that measles may cost the U S its status as having eliminated the condition Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours Up to out of people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed according to the CDC The first shot is recommended for children ages to months and the second for ages to years