US Minister of Health Robert Kennedy Junior, who is described as a questionable vaccine, spoke Sunday in favor of vaccination against measles, with the spread of this extreme infection epidemic in the southwest of the country.
An unexplained child died at the end of February in Texas, the first death from a decade due to this disease.
Robert Kennedy Junior, who was recently appointed as Minister of Health, had made many “misleading” statements about the safety of measles vaccine, mumps and measles (Himyara). He also reduced the importance of the epidemic, stressing that these annual seasons are “not unusual.”
But he wrote in an article published by Fox News station on Sunday that “he is deeply concerned about the outbreak of measles in recent times.”
“The vaccines not only protect children from measles, but also contribute to collective immunity, which provides protection for people who cannot receive the vaccine for medical reasons.”
But “obtaining the vaccine is a personal decision,” he said, calling on all the people to “obtain advice to understand their options in order to obtain a measles vaccine, mumps and measles.”
He pointed out that he asked the Federal Health Agency, including the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide support for the health authorities in Texas.
CDC, similar to other government agencies, has faced a reduction in the number of employees in recent weeks as part of the comprehensive reform that President Donald Trump has been implemented to the federal government.
Robert Kennedy Junior said that health workers, officials and various groups are responsible for “ensuring that accurate information about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines” and make “vaccines within reach of all who want them easily.”
He rejected the criticisms of accusing him of combating vaccines, stressing that his opinions are misrepresented, and insisted that he defends “logical” policies.
Until the end of February, more than 160 people with measles have been reported throughout the country, most of them in East Texas, according to CDC.
The vaccination rates in the United States decreased, especially due to the misleading information about the vaccines.