An outbreak of one of the most contagious diseases has occurred in Texas. With over 200 cases of measles and two deaths reported in multiple states at the time of writing, mostly among the unvaccinated, questions must be asked whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its newly appointed secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. will handle the outbreak appropriately.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can infect anyone but is especially dangerous for young children and pregnant people. It can be spread through coughing, sneezing, or breathing. The virus can stay on surfaces an infected person has come in contact with for up to two hours, causing a person with measles to infect nine out of 10 unvaccinated people they come into close contact with. 

The measles spread started in a small community in the county of Gaines County, Texas. For population immunity, 95% immunization rate is needed to ensure enough of the community is protected from a disease to prevent an outbreak. In Gaines County, the school district that is currently being affected by the measles virus has an immunization rate of under 50%.

Because of vaccinations this highly infectious disease had been contained and even deemed eliminated in the U.S in 2000. However, a recent rise in vaccine skepticism has coincided with a resurgence of measles in the U.S. Worldwide, in 2023 there were an estimated 107,500 deaths from measles, mostly children under the age of 5, despite the widespread availability of vaccines.

This recent outbreak coincides with Robert Kennedy Jr. being confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the U.S. Kennedy’s confirmation has had many health experts warning against the move due to his tendency to spread harmful misinformation regarding vaccines.

Initially, Kennedy was dismissive of the outbreaks: “It’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.” After a few days of leaving the situation in the hands of local authorities and the death of a child who contracted measles, Kennedy is back tracking on his original comments on the situation. 

“Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team,” Kennedy said on X, sending 2,000 doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. As much as this is good news, it might be too little too late. 

A previous outbreak in Clark County in January of 2019 had a more drastic response than Kennedy’s response. Students were ordered to stay home from school for 21 days regardless of if they’ve been exposed to measles or not, revocations of religious exemptions to vaccines, and $1,000 fines for not getting a vaccine.

Clark County’s outbreak only infected 71 people with no deaths. The Gaine’s county outbreak is reaching double that amount with one death and is spreading to neighbouring states like New Mexico and Tennessee, with no signs of slowing down. 

As the measles outbreak in the U.S rapidly approaches the largest number of measles cases in a year since 2000 in two short months and RFK’s unwillingness to label the MMR vaccines as anything more than a personal choice, only time will tell on whether the Department of Health and Human Services will be able to contain this outbreak. History is not on Kennedy’s side in regards to his handling of the situation so far though.

Although the outbreak in Texas is far away from us in Washington, we aren’t immune to measles. On Feb. 26, an infant in King County was confirmed to have the first case of measles for Washington in 2025. 

King County’s vaccination rates are below what is needed for herd immunity. With only 87% of two year olds being up to date on their vaccinations and only 72% of four-six year olds being up to date, it’s crucial to stay informed on how to do our part in preventing measles from endangering our community.

Actions like talking to your doctor about being vaccinated, talking to friends and family about getting vaccinated, learning to recognize signs of measles, and wearing a mask if you are infected are actions that help to protect people who are vulnerable to measles and potentially save lives.

To learn more about measles, and how to prevent it, read the World Health Organization’s fact sheet on the virus. To learn more about the King County measles case, read the King County health and safety page containing info about the case and vaccinations in the area.