RFK Jr urges Texans to consider vaccine amid measles outbreak

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has urged parents to consider vaccinating their children against measles amid an outbreak of the illness in west Texas. 

Kennedy, writing in an op-ed for Fox News Digital, said that while the decision to vaccinate is “personal,” the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine remains “crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.” He emphasized the role of healthcare providers in informing parents of their options, stating that “vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”

Kennedy noted that of the 146 confirmed measles cases in west Texas, 79 were in unvaccinated individuals, 62 in people with unknown vaccination statuses, and five in those who had received the vaccine, report The Hill.

The outbreak has been concentrated in an area with a significant Mennonite community, where vaccine skepticism is prevalent, despite the church itself not taking an anti-vaccine stance.

Texas allows exemptions from school vaccine requirements for religious or personal reasons. According to state data cited by The Associated Press, the percentage of children with exemptions in Texas has increased from 0.76% in 2014 to 2.32% in 2024. Around 14 percent of schoolchildren in Gaines County opted out of at least one required vaccine last year. One school district reported that there was a K-12 vaccine exemption rate of nearly 48 percent.

Kennedy acknowledged the role of public health officials in addressing vaccine concerns, stating that HHS must engage communities with “culturally competent education” and ensure vaccines are “readily accessible for all those who want them.”

The New York Post recently called on Kennedy to visit Texas and advocate for the MMR vaccine, citing his past vaccine skepticism as a unique opportunity to persuade others. The Post argued that such a move “would surely convince others elsewhere — and so quietly save lives.”