Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health secretary, participated in the funeral Sunday of an 8 -year -old girl who died of measles in the midst of a outbreak that burned the region and questioned her ability to manage a public health crisis.
The death of the child, in a Lubbock hospital, in Texas, early on Thursday morning, is the second mortality confirmed by measles in a decade in the United States.
The child died of “measles pulmonary failure”, according to the registers obtained by the New York Times. The hospital, part of the UMC health system, confirmed death later on Sunday, adding that the girl was not vaccinated and had no underlying health conditions.
Mr. Kennedy conferred with the girl’s family but did not talk to the funeral ceremony, according to the people present.
“My intention was to come here in silence to console families and be with the community in their moment of pain,” said Kennedy in a message published on X, previously Twitter.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” he added, referring to measles, parotitis and vaccine against rubella.
At the same time, Mr. Kennedy stopped recommending universal vaccination in communities in which the virus is not spreading.
And he ordered a review of the fact that the vaccine causes autism, a complaint a long time ago eliminated by the research, which is conducted by a well -known skeptical vaccine.
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The first death in the outbreak of Western Texas was an unvaccinated child who died in February. Another non -vaccinated person died in New Mexico after having a positive test for measles, although officials did not confirm that the measles was the cause of death.
Since the epidemic began in late January, the Western Texas has reported 480 cases of measles and 56 hospitalizations. The epidemic has also spread in the neighboring states, 54 disgusting people in New Mexico and 10 in Oklahoma.
If the virus continues to spread at this rhythm, the country risks losing its status of elimination of measles, a fought victory hard earned in 2000. Public health officials in Western Texas have said that the epidemic persists for a year is likely.
Shortly after the 8 -year death, a figure in the antivaccine community blamed death in the hospital, which he supported had “managed improperly from the medical point of view” the case.
The defense of children’s health, an anti-god group that Kennedy has contributed to establishing years before becoming secretary to health, previously stated that a “medical error” in another lubbock hospital had led to the first death of the status of measles.
These unfounded statements are incented experts, who have underlined that the MMR vaccine is extremely effective in preventing measles infections and their complications.
“These are not medical errors,” said dr. Michael Osterholm, who is an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota and an ex officer of the Department of Health and Human Services. “This is exactly on the back of the antivaccine voices that have continued to spread the disinformation.”
Kennedy has undergone strong criticism for her management of the epidemic. An important skeptical vaccine offered silent vaccination support and emphasized the unheard of measles, such as cod liver oil.
According to Medici in Texas, Kennedy’s approval of alternative treatments has contributed to the delay of patients and to the ingestion of toxic levels of Vitamin A.
“This is a tragedy, an absolutely useless death,” said dr. Peter Marks, who was the best regulator of the nation vaccine until he resigned last week from the Food and Drug Administration, in part due to the management of Mr. Kennedy of the burst of measles.
“To date, the federal response to the ongoing measles epidemic has focused inappropriately on the distraction and the ineffective alternatives to the only truly effective prevention: the measles vaccine,” he said.
Experts also fear that the recent decisions of the Trump Administration to dismantle the guarantees of international public health and to draw funding from the local health departments have made larger larger outbreaks more likely.
On Sunday, Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who is a doctor and expressed a critical vote to confirm Mr. Kennedy, encouraged the public on social media to be vaccinated, adding that “the best health officials should say so unequivocally B/4 dies of children”.
Morbillo is one of the most contagious pathogens. The virus can linger in the air for a maximum of two hours after an infected person has left the room and spreads when a sick person breathes, cough or sneezes.
Within a week or two to be exposed, those who are infected can develop a high fever, cough, nose that colas and red and watery eyes. Within a few days, a revealing rash is discovered as flat and red spots on the face and then spreads on the neck and the bust to the rest of the body.
In most cases, these symptoms resolve in a few weeks. But in rare cases, the virus causes pneumonia, making it difficult for patients, in particular children, put oxygen in their lungs.
Morbillo can also cause swelling of the brain, which can leave lasting problems, such as blindness, deafness and intellectual disability.
For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die, according to the centers for the control and prevention of diseases. The virus also damages the immune defenses of the body, leaving it vulnerable to other pathogens.
Christina Jewett Contributed relationships.