WSJ asks Kennedy to cast aside ‘antivax hooey' amid Texas measles outbreak
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board published on op-ed on Monday calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to set aside his anti-vaccine activist positions in light of the nearly 50 measles cases that have been confirmed among mostly unvaccinated children in Texas.
'We are on record as skeptical of RFK Jr.'s nomination. The Senate confirmed him. Now the best-case scenario would be for Mr. Kennedy to internalize that he is no longer an activist outsider who needs to take provocative potshots to get attention,' wrote the Journal's editorial board.
As of last week, 48 children in the South Plains region of Texas have been confirmed to have measles and 13 have been hospitalized. The disease is so transmissible that up to nine out of 10 people who come into contact someone with measles can be infected, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, all the children who have been infected are either unvaccinated or have unconfirmed vaccination statuses. The department has stated 'additional cases are likely' due to how contagious measles is.
'The tragedy is that this doesn't have to keep happening. In 2000 measles was declared eliminated from the U.S., meaning 12 months with no continuous spread,' the Journal's op-ed read.
'Yet for some people, the reality of measles feels like a sepia-toned history lesson, whereas the antivax hooey featured on podcasts these days sounds current,' the Journal added. 'RFK Jr., an environmental lawyer by trade, has long been part of the problem, and at his Senate confirmation hearings he presented himself as just asking questions, man. That undersells his role in spreading doubt and confusion.'
The op-ed additionally noted the falling vaccination rates among kindergarteners in recent years. All states and D.C. require vaccinations for school attendance, but exceptions are often permitted. During the 2023-2024 school year, vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergarteners fell to 92.7 percent when it came to the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Federal health authorities have long maintained a 'Healthy People 2030' target of achieving 95 percent MMR immunization coverage. This level of coverage is considered ideal for maintaining herd immunity in a population.
Whether this aim for vaccine coverage will continue now remains unclear as Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has signaled that he will be prioritizing work on chronic illnesses as opposed to infectious disease.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
2 new measles cases announced in Colorado: Exposure locations, current number of cases
DENVER (KDVR) — Two new measles cases have been announced in Colorado, this time in El Paso and Arapahoe counties. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in the El Paso County case, a child under the age of 5 years old has a confirmed case of measles after traveling with family to Ontario, Canada, where there is an ongoing measles outbreak. The child has one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, CDPHE said. Measles outbreaks in Michigan and Pennsylvania end, while Texas logs just 4 new cases The second case involves an unvaccinated Arapahoe County adult. The person was at Denver International Airport on Tuesday, May 13, which is during the exposure period from a Turkish Airlines passenger who flew while infectious and landed at DIA. This brings the total number of measles cases to 14 in the state, with Arapahoe, Denver and El Paso counties each having four cases, and Pueblo and Archuleta counties each having one. Here are the possible exposure locations for measles from the newly announced cases. Anyone who was there should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure and avoid public gatherings or high-risk settings. Location Date/time When symptoms may develop Powers Pointe Urgent Care5607 Barnes RoadColorado Springs, CO 80917 Tuesday, June 39:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Through June 24 HCA HealthONE Aurora (Medical Center of Aurora) Emergency Department1501 S. Potomac CO 80012 Thursday, June 54:55 – 10:05 p.m. Through June 26 Safeway1200 S. Buckley RoadAurora, CO 80017 Friday, June 64 – 6:15 p.m. Through June 27 St. Francis Medical Center Emergency Department6001 E. Woodmen RoadColorado Springs, CO 80923 Saturday, June 79:30 – 10:50 a.m. Through June 28 UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital Emergency Department12605 E. 16th CO 80045 Saturday, June 72 – 4:10 p.m. Through June 28 There are further exposure locations in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Denver, Evergreen, Glendale, Grand Junction, Greenwood Village and Windsor. All locations and time frames have been listed on CDPHE's website here. Anyone who was at the above locations during the exposure window and develops symptoms should immediately contact their health provider by phone. If you do not have a provider, call urgent care or an emergency department and explain your measles exposure. Calling ahead helps limit further exposures. Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US Measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air via coughs and sneezes. The disease can remain in the air up to two hours after the person has left. The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is through the MMR vaccine, according to CDPHE. Two doses of the MMR vaccination are about 97% effective in preventing measles, CDPHE has repeatedly stated. 'In rare cases, people who are vaccinated can still get measles, but their symptoms are usually milder, and they are less likely to spread it to others,' CDPHE explained in a release. About 93.7% of Colorado children have the MMR vaccination, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella. That's below the goal threshold of 95% for community immunity. Coloradans can check their own or their child's immunization records through the state's Immunization Information System public portal. If your provider has not reported vaccines, some records may be incomplete. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
NY state Senate approves doctor-assisted suicide bill, sends it to Hochul's desk for approval
ALBANY – State Senate Democrats passed highly controversial legislation that would allow terminally ill people to take their own lives with the help of doctors in a razor-thin vote Monday — leaving it up to Gov. Kathy Hochul whether to sign it into law. 'This is one of the great social reforms of our state,' state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), the bill's sponsor in the upper chamber, touted at a press conference earlier in the day Monday — putting the measure on the same tier as the legalization of gay marriage. 'This is about personal autonomy, this is about liberty, this is about exercising one's own freedom to control one's body,' Hoylman-Sigal continued. 3 The 'Medical Aid in Dying Act' passed the state senate Monday evening, meaning it only needs Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature to become law. Vaughn Golden The measure passed 35 to 27, with six Democrats – Senators April Baskin, Siela Bynoe, Cordelle Cleare, Monica Martinez, Roxanne Persaud, and Sam Sutton – voting against it. 'The governor will review the legislation,' a spokesperson for Hochul said. The bill's passage follows a years-long campaign that was fought tooth and nail by a diverse group of critics, including disability rights activists and the Catholic church, as well as many black and Orthodox Jewish communities. 'The Governor still has the opportunity to uphold New York's commitment to suicide prevention, protect vulnerable communities, and affirm that every life—regardless of disability, age, or diagnosis—is worthy of care, dignity, and protection,' The New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide wrote in a statement following the vote. A Catholic group slammed the bill's passing as 'a dark day for New York' and also called on Hochul to refuse to sign it. 'For the first time in its history, New York is on the verge of authorizing doctors to help their patients commit suicide. Make no mistake – this is only the beginning, and the only person standing between New York and the assisted suicide nightmare unfolding in Canada is Governor Hochul,' Dennis Poust, Executive Director of the New York State Catholic Conference, wrote in a statement. 3 The state Senate voted 35-27 Monday night to legalize physician-assisted suicide for people with terminal illnesses. AP Ahead of the vote, the nearly three-hour debate on the Senate floor got emotional, with several lawmakers holding back tears as they explained their votes. Syracuse-area state Sen. Rachel May (D-Onondaga) shared the story of her late husband, who was receiving morphine in the final stages of his battle with cancer, which he eventually succumbed to at 32 years old. 'I don't know if the last largest dose he took also took his life, but I know that he died in peace,' May said. 'It isn't about controlling the disease or controlling the pain, it's about having control at the end of your life,' she said before voting in favor. Critics fear the legislation lacks critical safeguards over how doctors approve patients looking to receive the prescription for a lethal cocktail of drugs, such as a statutory waiting period, establishing clear chain of custody for the pills, mandating the doctor and recipient meet in-person, and requiring a disclosure that someone indeed used the drugs to take their own life. Under the bill, recipients would need approval from two doctors and a sign-off from two independent witnesses, after which they would receive a prescription for drugs they could use to take their life at a time of their choosing. 3 Gov. Kathy Hochul has not signaled whether she will sign the assisted suicide bill. Lev Radin/ZUMA / Doctors also do not have to conduct a mental health screening for each patient, but may refer a patient for one under the legislation. 'I don't think requesting end-of-life medication when an individual is suffering and in pain and dying suggests a mental health condition, if anything, I think it's quite rational,' Hoylman-Sigal said. Hoylman vowed the bill would not lead to such 'unintended consequences.' 'It was a professional organization that provided us crucial guidance, that helped us develop the state-of-the-art safeguards in this legislation that gave my colleagues and the general public, I believe, the assurance that there will not be unintended consequences,' he said. The legislation is referred to by its supporters as the 'Medical Aid in Dying' bill. 'The option of medical aid in dying provides comfort, allowing those who are dying to live their time more fully and peacefully until the end. I am profoundly grateful to Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins for giving her conference the space to have this important and emotional discussion,' Corinne Carey, Senior Campaign Director of Compassion and Choices, the main group driving the effort to pass the bill, wrote in a statement.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US Health Secretary Kennedy guts vaccine advisory committee
By Ahmed Aboulenein, Michael Erman and Julie Steenhuysen WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all 17 members of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts and is in the process of replacing them, his department said on Monday, drawing protest from many vaccine scientists. The move is the most far-reaching in a series of actions by Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, to reshape U.S. regulation of vaccines, food and medicine. Scientists and experts said the changes to the vaccine panel, which recommends how vaccines are used and by whom, would undermine public confidence in health agencies. Kennedy promised the move would raise public confidence. "Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," Kennedy said in a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has for years sown doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, but he pledged to maintain the country's existing vaccine standards to secure his appointment in President Donald Trump's administration. The Food and Drug Administration, which is overseen by Kennedy's department, has approved a number of vaccines during his tenure despite concerns over his stances. Even so, at least one senior Republican member of Congress expressed doubts about the changes in the panel. Kennedy said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is rife with conflicts and has never turned down a vaccine, even though the decision to approve vaccines rests with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The CDC panel provides guidance to the CDC on which groups of people would most benefit from an already-approved vaccine. "That's a tragedy," said former FDA Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman. "This is a highly professional group of scientists and physicians and others... It's the kind of political meddling that will reduce confidence rather than increase confidence." The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America called Kennedy's action concerning for public health. "Upending the ACIP membership increases uncertainty and vaccine skepticism, undermining the health gains achieved through vaccination," the industry body said in a statement late on Monday. Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and U.S.-listed shares of BioNTech fell more than 1%, while Pfizer was down marginally in extended trading on Monday. Kennedy said most panel members receive funding from drugmakers although members are required to declare any potential or perceived conflicts of interest that arise in the course of their tenure and any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with organizations relevant to the committee's work. Kennedy and HHS provided no specific evidence of industry conflicts of interest among departing ACIP members. The CDC's web page for conflicts of interest, last updated in March, showed that one current member had recused herself from votes on a handful of vaccines because she had worked on clinical trials for their manufacturers. BIDEN APPOINTEES All 17 ACIP members were appointed under former President Joe Biden's administration, including 13 in 2024, HHS said. Without their removal, Trump's administration would not have been able to choose a majority of the committee until 2028. "This is not a political committee, it's never been partisan," said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert at UC Law San Francisco. "It's an expert committee. Presidents have never been involved in ACIP membership." The decision drew criticism from Democrats in Congress, and one key Republican expressed concern. "Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion," said Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy in a post on X. "I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case." Cassidy, a doctor from Louisiana who had expressed wariness about Kennedy's anti-vaccine views before clearing the path for him to become the nation's top health official, said at the time he had received assurances Kennedy would protect existing vaccination programs. The CDC panel will convene its next meeting June 25-27 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the department said. Vetting new panel members typically takes months, said one expert with close ties to the committee, who expressed doubts the newly appointed panel would be able to meet on time unless Kennedy and his team "have been working in the shadows" to onboard them months ahead of the announcement. Kennedy has drawn condemnation from health officials for his vaccine policies including what they say is a weak endorsement of the measles shots during an outbreak that has infected more than 1,000 mostly unvaccinated people and killed three. He announced last month the government was dropping its recommendation that healthy children and pregnant women should receive COVID shots, sidestepping the typical process. Traditionally, once the FDA approves vaccines for sale to the public, ACIP's role is to review data in a public meeting and vote on vaccine recommendations, which are then sent to the CDC director to sign off. The Affordable Care Act generally requires insurers to cover vaccines that are listed on the CDC vaccine schedules for adults and children. The recommendations also determine which vaccines the CDC's Vaccines for Children program will provide free of charge to those without insurance.
