With RFK Jr. at his side, a measles outbreak could prove 'politically perilous' for Trump

[Jilly_in_VA]

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of well-established vaccines, said Wednesday that his department is tracking an outbreak of measles that has infected more than 100 people and killed a child in Texas. But he played down the consequence of the resurgence — 25 years after the disease was declared to be eliminated in the U.S.

"We're following the measles epidemic every day," Kennedy said during President Donald Trump's first Cabinet meeting since being sworn in Jan. 20. “Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country. ... So it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”

But the death of an unvaccinated school-age child in West Texas, confirmed by a state health official this week, is the first fatality in the U.S. since 2015.

Kennedy has been scarce at HHS headquarters, has not visited a number of HHS agencies and has not sent all-staff emails to the department's workforce, according to one department official. Notably, this person said, Kennedy has not done anything to address the measles outbreak.

“It’s almost like he’s still in campaign-mode rather than realizing he’s head of a large agency and workforce," the HHS official said.

An HHS spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/measles-outbreak-politically-perilous-trump-rfk-jr-rcna194053

He is going to do nothing about anything.

[The Blue Flower]

1. He doesn't know how to do the job

Just like his boss.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Too busy doing drugs and assaulting women.

[Lovie777]

3. Bleach time................

or that the horse pill.

[sop]

4. Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida's Surgeon General, a DeSantis appointee, also ignored a measles outbreak last year.

(2/28/24) "Florida's response to measles outbreak troubles public health experts"

"In mid-February, a measles outbreak started at the Manatee Bay Elementary School in Broward County in South Florida. There are now at least nine cases in the county and one additional one in Polk County in Central Florida."

"Several public health researchers say Florida's current response to the outbreak goes against well-established public health guidance. Florida's surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has so far not urged parents of unvaccinated children at the school with the outbreak to get their children vaccinated, or to quarantine them. In a Feb. 20 letter, Ladapo left it up to parents to decide whether to send their kids to school."

"'I'm flummoxed about this,' says Dr. Ali Khan, dean of public health at the University of Nebraska. 'I've never heard of a surgeon general who didn't at least advocate for best public health practice.'"

"Khan says flouting science-based guidance is dangerous. 'If you're undermining confidence in public health, including vaccination and public health measures, you are putting an increasing number of people at risk of these diseases that we no longer see anymore,' he says."

"Measles is a highly infectious disease, says Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. 'I mean, you can walk by somebody and catch measles if they have it. It's one of the most infectious diseases that we know about.'"

"And when people who are not vaccinated or don't have prior immunity get exposed to it, up to 9 out of 10 will get measles, according to CDC...State data shows that around 8% of kindergartners in Broward County are not vaccinated for measles."

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/02/28/1234483734/floridas-response-to-measles-outbreak-troubles-public-health-experts

[Mister Ed]

5. Maybe they can blame it on Biden & Fauci.

MAGAs would buy that.