By: Monu Kumar
US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. - two days after initially downplaying the outbreak as, not unusual, - on Friday said he recognizes the serious impact of the ongoing measles problem in Texas and said the government is providing resources, including protective vaccines.
Kennedy said in a post on X, “Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team.” Kennedy said federal Department of Health and Human Services would send Texas doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine through its immunization program.
It may be reported that US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) upheld the role of vaccines in offering protection against measles after an unvaccinated child died from an infection this week.
The death of a child, reported on Wednesday, was the first US fatality from the highly contagious disease in a decade. Government data shows a growing outbreak with more than 140 cases reported in Texas since late January.