The United States is confronting its worst measles year since 1991 as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells an anti-vaccine organization that it has an ally in the White House. Seven measles-associated deaths have been reported over the past two years, according to WKMG.
Kennedy spoke Thursday to hundreds of people at a Children’s Health Defense conference, his first appearance at the group’s conference since becoming the nation’s top health official. He told attendees they had a “strong and steadfast friend in the White House,” according to Newsday. The Department of Health and Human Services also promoted the speech on social media, according to the event coverage.
An appearance with an unusually close institutional connection
The event carries added significance because Kennedy previously held senior positions at Children’s Health Defense. The organization’s Michigan chapter identifies him as its founder and former chairman of the board and chief legal counsel, roles he held before joining HHS, according to Children’s Health Defense. He took a leave from the group after beginning his presidential campaign in 2023, Newsday reported.
Mary Holland, the organization’s chief executive, thanked Kennedy for recognizing what she described as consequential questions involving childhood vaccination, according to the event report. His appearance therefore placed a former organizational leader onstage with an advocacy group he once helped lead while he serves as the federal official responsible for the nation’s health agencies.
Policy changes remain contested
Kennedy pointed to efforts by the administration to reduce the childhood vaccination schedule and reshape a federal vaccine advisory board. Newsday reported that a judge has since halted those steps, but the available account does not identify the court or specify the full scope of the order. The legal status and practical reach of those changes therefore remain important unresolved details.
A separate executive order issued last month called for spacing out the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, a position that conflicts with existing recommendations from medical groups, according to Newsday. The report said medical organizations warned that the administration’s actions could increase confusion and vaccine hesitancy, but it did not identify all of the groups or provide their full statements.
The measles backdrop
The reported deaths have concentrated attention on vaccination policy. Pennsylvania officials have reported four measles-associated deaths this year; none of those four people had been vaccinated, according to the state health department as cited by Newsday. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro criticized Kennedy’s message, saying the health secretary should have encouraged measles vaccination rather than appear at the conference.
The available reporting does not establish that Kennedy’s appearance caused any particular outbreak or death. It does show why the timing has drawn criticism: the conference occurred amid a worsening measles outbreak and debate over whether federal policy should reinforce established vaccination recommendations or move away from them.
A discredited claim on the conference stage
Andrew Wakefield followed Kennedy at the conference. Wakefield authored a study linking the MMR vaccine to autism that was later retracted, according to the event coverage. Extensive research has found no link between vaccines and autism; FactCheck.org notes that numerous rigorous studies have failed to identify such an association.
The appearance drew further criticism from Shaughnessy Naughton, founder of 314 Action, who said Kennedy should step aside during Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak, Newsday reported. The White House and HHS did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press, according to WKMG.
