In the first test of the Trump administration's ability to respond to infectious disease emergency, its best health officials have moved away from one of the government's most important tools, experts said Sunday.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was widely criticized at Cabinet meeting Wednesday for minimizing the outbreak of measles in West Texas. In a social media post Friday, he took a new tact and said outbreaks are “a top priority” for his department, health and human services.
He highlighted the various ways the department is helping Texas by funding the state's vaccination program and updating advice from doctors to give children vitamin A.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, part of the HHS, did not send out the first substantial notification of the outbreak until Thursday, almost a month after the first case was reported in Texas.
“They are whispering,” said Dr. Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota and former health department official.
“I'm worried that their hands will be tied,” he added.
CDC officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The outbreak of measles in western Texas has made more than 140 residents sick and killed one child. Support for vaccinations and rare federal renewals for lukewarm water has been linked to scientists, particularly in light of Kennedy's long history of distrust of vaccines.
For many years, he has suggested that measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have been linked to autism, and that measles outbreaks are mostly “manufactured” to fatten the benefits of drug manufacturers.
If the Texas outbreak provides a window into the Trump administration's approach to public health, it is spelling out future troubles, some researchers said.
State health officials say broad federal support is not needed, but future outbreaks elsewhere may not be managed without federal support. “We can call this a dress rehearsal,” said Catherine Troisi, an epidemiologist at Uthealth Houston Public Health.
She added: “In theaters, bad dress rehearsals mean good performances. I'm pretty sure it's not actually the case of public health.”
In past measles outbreaks, the CDC often plays a leading role in educating the public about the risk of contracting the virus and the importance of MMR vaccination.
During the height of the New York outbreak in 2019, during President Trump's first term, the agency issued a news release urging healthcare providers to reassure patients about the safety of the vaccine and criticize groups spreading misleading information about it.
In an accompanying statement, then Health Secretary Alex M. Hazard II wrote that measles was “a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease.”
“A safe and effective vaccine that protects against measles will avoid the pain we see,” he added.
His message was part of a fierce campaign to quell the biggest outbreak since 2000 when measles was eliminated from the United States. The active campaign has resulted in over 60,000 MMR vaccinations in affected communities.
Health officials contacted religious leaders, local doctors and advocacy groups. In parts of New York, authorities declared emergency, mandatory vaccinations and banned unvaccinated children from public places.
This time the signal is much more muted.
By the time the CDC issued its first official statement on the outbreak, measles had spread to nine Texas counties, with nine additional incidents occurring adjacent to New Mexico.
The statement once mentioned vaccination, saying it “will remain the best protection against measles infection.”
When asked about the Texas incident on Wednesday, Kennedy said the outbreak was not “unusual” and falsely claimed that many people hospitalized were there “mainly due to quarantine.”
He did not mention the vaccine. In a social media post, Kennedy emphasized that his department will “continue to fund Texas vaccination programs.” However, he did not explicitly call the Americans to get the shot.
Instead, vaccination campaigns are primarily left to state and local officials. Texas has frequent press conferences that spur vaccine clinics vigorously and uncover misinformation.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor and a Louisiana Republican who voted importantly to confirm Kennedy with his post, urged residents of his state, which is adjacent to Texas, to make sure they are up to date on measles vaccinations.
But like measles, the virus, which is infectious, does not respect the boundaries of the condition, and the CDC should provide greater national leadership and leadership, Dr. Osterholm said.
“Tomorrow could be the next hotspot,” he said.
On Friday, Texas capital Austin reported a case of measles in an unvaccinated infant who was exposed during an international trip.
