{"id":847327,"date":"2025-05-10T21:12:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T02:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/10\/kennedy-links-measles-outbreak-to-poor-diet-and-health-citing-fringe-theories\/"},"modified":"2025-05-10T21:12:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T02:12:29","slug":"kennedy-links-measles-outbreak-to-poor-diet-and-health-citing-fringe-theories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/10\/kennedy-links-measles-outbreak-to-poor-diet-and-health-citing-fringe-theories\/","title":{"rendered":"Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"site-content\">\n<article id=\"story\">\n<div id=\"top-wrapper\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/#after-top\">SKIP ADVERTISEMENT<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p>You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<header>\n<p id=\"article-summary\">In a recent interview, the health secretary also suggested that the measles vaccine had harmed children in West Texas, center of an outbreak.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"imageblock-wrapper\">\n<figure aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\">\n<div data-testid=\"imageContainer-children-Image\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" ><source media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" ><source media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks from a lectern in the Oval Office and gestures with his right hand.\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/07\/multimedia\/00measles-kennedy-01-tkpq\/00measles-kennedy-01-tkpq-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&#038;auto=webp&#038;disable=upscale\"   decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\"><\/picture><\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"photoviewer-children-ImageCaption\"><span>In an interview posted online last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, offered unorthodox, and at times contradictory, messages on vaccination.<\/span><span><span>Credit&#8230;<\/span><span><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Eric Lee\/The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2025-03-10T15:54:49-04:00\"><span>March 10, 2025<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<section name=\"articleBody\">\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/nation.foxnews.com\/watch\/d5c0ee929861616db083854daa058a56\/\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sweeping interview<\/a>, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, outlined a strategy for containing the measles outbreak in West Texas that strayed far from mainstream science, relying heavily on fringe theories about prevention and treatments.<\/p>\n<p>He issued a muffled call for vaccinations in the affected community, but said the choice was a personal one. He suggested that measles vaccine injuries were more common than known, <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC9939709\/\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">contrary to extensive research<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He asserted that natural immunity to measles, gained through infection, somehow also protected against cancer and heart disease, a claim not supported by research.<\/p>\n<p>He cheered on questionable treatments like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/04\/health\/texas-measles-outbreak-kennedy.html\" title>cod liver oil<\/a>, and said that local doctors had achieved \u201calmost miraculous and instantaneous\u201d recoveries with steroids or antibiotics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<p>The worsening measles outbreak, which has largely spread through a Mennonite community in Gaines County, has infected nearly 200 people and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/26\/us\/texas-measles-outbreak-death.html\" title>killed a child<\/a>, the first such death in the United States in 10 years.<\/p>\n<p>Another suspected measles death has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/06\/health\/measles-death-new-mexico.html\" title>reported in New Mexico<\/a>, where cases have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/07\/health\/measles-texas-new-mexico.html\" title>recently increased<\/a> in a county that borders Gaines County.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<hr>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&#038;client_id=vi&#038;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F10%2Fhealth%2Fmeasles-texas-kennedy-fox.html&#038;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&#038;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F10%2Fhealth%2Fmeasles-texas-kennedy-fox.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\">\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p>Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&#038;client_id=vi&#038;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F10%2Fhealth%2Fmeasles-texas-kennedy-fox.html&#038;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&#038;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F10%2Fhealth%2Fmeasles-texas-kennedy-fox.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div id=\"bottom-wrapper\">\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/#after-bottom\">SKIP ADVERTISEMENT<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> Gaylene Geddes <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/10\/health\/measles-texas-kennedy-fox.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. In a recent interview, the health secretary also suggested that the measles vaccine had harmed children in West Texas, center of an outbreak. In an interview posted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":847328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22303,23607],"tags":[10287,9480],"class_list":{"0":"post-847327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kennedy","8":"category-links","9":"tag-kennedy","10":"tag-links"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}