Cases of measles are on the rise in the USwith more than 250 infected, and two dead. The measles outbreak continues to spread in West Texas and New Mexico, raising concerns, and amidst all of it, Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to share unproven treatments, and even downplay the importance of vaccination against the deadly infection.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, is facing harsh criticism for suggesting that nutrition and natural immunity play a greater role in preventing severe measles cases than vaccination. He has also promoted vitamin A as a tool to manage measles, a claim widely disputed by health officials.
While health agencies continue to confirm that most of the infected are unvaccinated, RFK Jr.’s fixation and his wild theories continue to spread.
Let’s take a look at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s wild theories on measles outbreak.
Said it is ‘almost impossible’ for a healthy person to be killed by an infectious disease
The HHS Secretary claims that it is ‘almost impossible’ for an infectious disease to kill a healthy person. In sit-down interview with Fox News over the weekend, he said, “We need to understand the relationship between good health and chronic disease. If you are healthy, it’s almost impossible for you to be killed by an infectious disease in modern times because we have nutrition, we have access to medicines.” He continued, “What we need is good science on all of these things. So, that people can make rational choices.”
However, this theory does not suit well with infectious diseases. During the COVID pandemic, we have seen that, though people with pre-existing health concerns were generally at a higher risk of severe illness from the disease, young and healthy people too succumbed to the virus.
According to the CDC, for every thousand people infected with measles in the U.S., the virus kills one to three.
Claimed that malnutrition and lack of a ‘good exercise regimen’ played a role in the Texas outbreak
Kennedy suggested that malnutrition has played a crucial role in the outbreak. He said that people who were unhealthy before contracting measles had severe symptoms.
“We see a correlation between people who get hurt by measles and people who don’t have good nutrition or who don’t have a good exercise regimen,” he said.
The HHS Secretary suggested that malnutrition “may have been an issue” for the child who died of measles in Gaines County. He went on to add that West Texas is “kind of a food desert.”
However, health authorities in the state have clearly dismissed such claims, and said that the child had “no known underlying conditions.”
Though there is data that supports the fact that severely malnourished children suffer the worst outcomes from measles, there is no credible evidence to prove that poor eating and exercise may make a child susceptible to the complications of an infection.
Downplaying vaccination
Kennedy, who is known for his vaccine skeptic views endorsed vaccination, but it was something lukewarm. “Measles vaccine protects the community. And, there are people who should not be vaccinated in the community, because they have autoimmune disease or other immune problems. And, if you do get vaccinated, you’re protecting those people from a possible spread,” he told Fox News.
In the Fox News op-ed, the HHS Secretary suggested that measles deaths had been virtually eliminated three years before the vaccine’s introduction due to “improvements in sanitation and nutrition.” “Tens of thousands died with, or of, measles annually in 19th Century America. By 1960 – before the vaccine’s introduction – improvements in sanitation and nutrition had eliminated 98% of measles deaths,” he wrote.
While he spoke about the importance of vaccination, he downplayed it after a point and described vaccination as a ‘personal choice’ that must be respected.
“Parents play a pivotal role in safeguarding their children’s health. All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” RFK Jr. wrote.
Unproven remedies
Robert F Kennedy Jr. said that the Department of Health and Human Services would conduct clinical trials on several unproven treatments for measles, including a steroid, budesonide; an antibiotic called clarithromycin; and cod liver oil, which he said was “the safest application of vitamin A.”
The HHS Secretary claimed that he heard from local doctors that such treatments had led to “miraculous and instantaneous recovery.”
“We need to really do a good job of talking to the frontline doctors and see what is working on the ground. Those therapeutics have really been ignored by the agency for a long, long time,” he said.
Kennedy also told Fox News that he was shipping doses of vitamin A to the epicenter of the measles outbreak.
“Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses. Vitamins A, C, and D, and foods rich in vitamins B12, C, and E should be part of a balanced diet,” he claimed
However, health experts are concerned about the focus on vitamin A and other controversial treatments, as it would be detrimental to the fact that vaccines are the best way to prevent the infection.
Claimed that ‘natural immunity’ post-infection can protect people
Though RFK Jr. expressed that he would “never advise someone to get sick,” he advocated the benefit of protection which develops after getting infected. While measles survivors develop immunity, doctors warn that the risks far outweigh the benefits.
The health head claimed that this immunity even protects against cancer and heart disease, however, there is no evidence to support it.
