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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Issues: measles vaccination

RFK Jr. Minimizes Measles Outbreak in Texas

RFK Jr. Minimizes Measles Outbreak in Texas
February 27, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, downplayed the seriousness of an ongoing measles outbreak in Texas, falsely claiming that people had been hospitalized “mainly for quarantine” and misleadingly stating that the situation is “not unusual.” The Texas outbreak is already larger than any single outbreak last year and has led to the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015.

Posts Mislead About Measles, MMR Vaccine Amid Recent Outbreaks

Posts Mislead About Measles, MMR Vaccine Amid Recent Outbreaks
January 29, 2024

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be serious and even fatal. Fortunately, it can safely be prevented by vaccination. But in the wake of outbreaks in the U.S. and elsewhere — likely in large part due to low vaccination coverage — social media posts have downplayed the risks of measles and falsely claimed the vaccine “is more dangerous than the actual illness.”