Oregon Senators Demand RFK Jr. Launch Vaccine Push as Measles Outbreak Claims First U.S. Lives in a Decade

Following the first measles deaths in the US in a decade, US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take immediate action to curb the spread of measles.

Oregon Urges Vaccinating In Light Of Deadly Measles Outbreak

In a letter to RFK Jr., led by Senator Ben Ray Luján and signed by several other senators, including Oregon Senators Wyden and Merkley, the senators emphasized that measles once declared eliminated in the US, has recently infected at least 223 individuals across 13 jurisdictions, leading to the tragic deaths of a child in Texas and a resident in New Mexico.

The letter urged him to launch a national vaccination campaign and use HHS authorities to promote vaccination as the most effective way to prevent infection and future measles outbreaks.

RFK Jr. chaired the anti-vaccine nonprofit Children’s Health Defense from 2015 to 2023. Earlier this month, he wrote an op-ed on March 2 this year for Fox News calling MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccines “crucial” to avoiding deadly diseases.

Measles symptoms include a cough, fever, runny nose, watery eyes, Koplik spots, and rash. It is one of the most contagious diseases. It is known to cause a dangerous and unique phenomenon called “immune amnesia,” leading to the body forgetting any prior immunity against other diseases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that 95 percent of active measles cases are present in unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status, and a person infected with measles can infect nine out of 10 people they come in contact with if not protected.

In their letter the senators emphasized the need to increase vaccination rates to protect vulnerable populations.

They said, “It is imperative that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) act immediately and robustly to stop the spread of this preventable infection and save American lives.”