Whopper of the Week: RFK Jr.'s Measly Messaging On Measles

Whopper of the Week: 

RFK JR.'S MEASLY MESSAGING ON MEASLES

"I have never been anti-vaccine." – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., April 16, 2026
 

SUMMARY

The MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective at preventing measles, but Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to send mixed messages to Americans, despite multiple regional outbreaks throughout the country. As of October 1, 2026, the CDC reports 3887 confirmed measles cases, far surpassing the 2025 total, while Pennsylvania has reported five measles associated deaths for the year. Kennedy has defended himself in Congress against the accusation that he is in part responsible for the highest number of measles cases seen since 1991. “I have never been anti-vaccine,” he told Congress last April. Surprisingly, in August Kennedy told Dana Bash on CNN that “parents should get their children vaccinated for measles.” But in September, speaking to his MAHA base, Kennedy avoided talking about the measles and renewed his attacks on vaccines, casting doubt on their safety, efficacy and timing, and promising his agency would “ask the questions that you and millions of American parents have been asking for years.”

Secretary Kennedy is unwilling to deliver the clear, simple message that measles is a serious disease that can be safely avoided with two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. 

WHY THIS IS A WHOPPER

Measles is the most contagious human infectious disease. When exposed to the measles virus, 90% of the unvaccinated will get infected. In the current outbreak, 97% of the cases have been among unvaccinated individuals. Fortunately, measles is also easily preventable. Two doses of MMR vaccine in childhood are about 97% effective at preventing measles, providing long-term and possibly lifelong immunity.

Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, measles epidemics would occur every 2-3 years. In the United States, there were an estimated 3-4 million cases of measles each year, leading to 48,000 hospitalizations, 1,000 cases of encephalitis, and 400 to 500 deaths. Over the last thirty years, measles vaccination has prevented an estimated 104 million cases and 85,000 deaths in the United States.

Alarmingly, MMR vaccination rates have been declining as parents opt out of vaccination due to personal or religious reasons and vaccine misinformation is amplified on social media. During the 2025-2026 school year, only 92.4% of kindergarteners were vaccinated against the measles, down from 95.2% in 2019-2020. The percentage change is small, but dipping below the 95% immunization rates allows the virus to spread due to loss of herd immunity. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, measles cases in the U.S. have been growing rapidly since 2025. [See Figure below.] 

For decades, Kennedy has minimized measles, claiming it is a mild disease and easy to treat.  “The cure for measles is chicken soup and vitamin A,” he told an Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 2021. Vitamin A does not cure measles; it is only recommended in malnourished, vitamin A deficient individuals who are rare in the US. There is also no evidence that cod liver oil or antibiotics work – or chicken soup, for that matter. There is no cure for the measles, but if exposed you can still prevent illness if an MMR vaccine is given within three days.

Measles is a serious illness. The CDC reports that close to 10% of cases in the 2026 outbreak have required hospitalization, while the figure for Pennsylvania is 20%. Measles can cause complications such as ear infections, severe diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis (brain swelling), or death. Certain groups such as infants, pregnant women and immunocompromised are at higher risk of complications. One in one thousand cases of measles leads to encephalitis which can cause permanent brain damage. One to three out of every thousand children will die from respiratory or neurological complications.

Kennedy has also falsely claimed that measles “boosts your immune system later in life against cancers, atopic diseases, cardiac disease.” No such studies exist. Kennedy lauds the supposed benefits of "natural measles" but ignores the damage it causes to the immune cells that can wipe out 11-73% of a person’s antibody repertoire and leave them vulnerable to other infections, like mumps or whooping cough, for years. He also fails to mention that 1 in 25,000 measles cases will develop a rare and fatal brain complication, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, 7-10 yrs after the initial infection.  

Kennedy has acknowledged that the MMR vaccine is effective, but on safety he hedges with “It’s safe for most people.”  That’s misleading. While no vaccine is risk free, the risks associated with the measles disease far outweigh those of immunization for the general population.  A Cochrane Review of 138 studies, with millions of participants, found that the MMR vaccine does not lead to increased risk of autism, leukemia, asthma, hay fever, type 1 diabetes mellitus, gait disturbance, Crohn’s disease, demyelinating diseases, or bacterial or viral infections.
 

WHY IT MATTERS

Kennedy is not only fostering doubt among parents, as Secretary of Health he is also creating new barriers to vaccination. On August 10, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order recommending the MMR vaccine be separated into its three components (measles, mumps and rubella). According to Paul Offit, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, that means “you get six shots instead of two, which will benefit you in no way in terms of better safety or better efficacy.” It will, however, make it harder and more expensive for parents to complete the vaccination series by requiring more visits to the pediatrician and more time off from work. 

The Director of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Andrew Racine criticized the President’s announcement as dangerous. “The only purpose of this announcement is to sow confusion so that more people doubt the importance of vaccines. Delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school.”

Measles cases in the United States are the highest they have been in 35 years. Secretary Kennedy's words and actions matter. He should clearly endorse the MMR vaccine, publish trustworthy data and help states respond to outbreaks. Instead, his message is muddled and he pushes policies that confuse parents and reduce vaccine access. This November vote for public health candidates at the midterm elections and encourage Congress to impeach Kennedy before he does further damage to the health of our children and our nation.
 

Contributions by:  Aurora Horstkamp, M.D., Benedicte Callan, Ph.D., Bruce Mirken, David Moskowitz M.F.A.