Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) commended Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of Health and Human Services (HHS) for advocating measles vaccinations during the lethal outbreak in Texas.
Since the beginning, the United States has recorded 700 cases of the measles virus across various states.
Louisiana lawmakers affirmed the safety and necessity of vaccinations to protect lives in a recent interview with radio host John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “The Cats Roundtable.”
“I want to support Bobby Kennedy from the Department of Health as he is now urging people to receive the measles vaccine. It’s the only established method to prevent the measles,” Cassidy remarked.
Previously, Kennedy has backed anti-vaccine narratives, having shared unfounded assertions linking vaccinations to autism spectrum disorder in children.
Cassidy addressed the misinformation during his discussion with Catsimatidis.
“There’s a national dialogue regarding whether or not we should immunize our children. We have had two children who have tragically passed away in West Texas due to measles, a disease that can be prevented by vaccine,” stated the chairman of the Senate’s Health, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
“It’s been clearly demonstrated that vaccinations do not trigger autism, and that was one of the worries,” he emphasized.
Some individuals who worked under the HHS secretary have voiced apprehension about Kennedy’s competence in light of the public health emergency.
“I’m uncertain about his actions, and I can’t enable him to do anything, but I urge the public to think about vaccinating their children,” said Peter Marks, a Food and Drug Administration official who resigned due to pressure from the Trump administration, during an interview with CNN.
“It’s easy to overlook measles because many have never encountered them without vaccinations,” he continued.
Measles was previously deemed eliminated in the US following the vaccine introduction in 2000.
“This is not just a minor illness; it’s a serious disease. It results in the death of one in 1,000 children in developed nations like the United States,” stated Marks, stressing the seriousness of the measles infection.
“We have already witnessed two fatalities in the US, one involving a child, and these deaths were avoidable because the vaccine is 98% effective against measles and nearly 100% effective at preventing fatalities,” the vaccine expert concluded.
