Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kenned Jr. emphasized the importance of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for children on Sunday as a Mennonite community in Texas faces a “measles outbreak.”
Kennedy wrote a 700-word op-ed for Fox News Digital urging parents to talk to their doctors about the MMR vaccine for children. According to the Texas Department of Health, 146 measles cases have been identified in the South Plains region since January, mostly among unvaccinated children. One unvaccinated school-aged child in the area died from the respiratory illness while 20 people have been hospitalized.
“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,” Kennedy wrote. “The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. 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.”
“The current Texas outbreak has predominantly affected children, with 116 of the 146 cases occurring in individuals under 18 years of age,” he continued. “The DSHS reports that 79 of the confirmed cases involved individuals who had not received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while 62 cases had unknown vaccine status. At least five had received an MMR vaccine.”
Kennedy added that “good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses,” saying that parents should focus on vitamin-rich and balanced diets.
“The measles outbreak in Texas is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health. By working together — parents, healthcare providers, community leaders, and government officials, we can prevent future outbreaks and protect the health of our nation,” he wrote. “Under my leadership, HHS is and will always be committed to radical transparency to regain the public’s trust in its health agencies.”
Last week during the first cabinet meeting of the new Trump administration, the HHS secretary said that the measles outbreak in Texas was “not unusual.”
“Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country. Last year, there were 16. So it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year,” he said.
In the 16 measles “outbreaks” in 2024, there were a total of 285 reported cases of the illness, most of which were in children. Of the 285 measles cases, 40% required hospitalization last year. The death of a Texas child last month is the first death attributed to measles in the U.S. since 2015.
Kennedy said he directed federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to work with the Texas state government and offer “technical assistance, laboratory support, vaccines, and therapeutic medications as needed.”
