RFK Jr makes Texas stop to visit family of 6-year-old measles victim, push MMR vaccine
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a stop in Texas on Sunday and visited the family of a 6-year-old girl who died of the measles virus in February.
Kennedy confirmed the visit to Texas in a post on X in which he encouraged people to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine amid rising measles cases.
"I came to Gaines County, Texas, today to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy," Kennedy wrote in the post. "I got to know the family of 6-year-old Kayley Fehr after she passed away in February. I also developed bonds with and deep affection for other members of this community during that difficult time."
Kennedy said his intention was to visit Gaines County quietly, console the families and be with the community while they grieve.
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But he also said he was there to support Texas health officials and to learn how HHS agencies can be better partners to control the measles outbreak.
As of Sunday, there were 642 confirmed cases of measles across 22 states, and 499 of those are in Texas.
Kennedy deployed a team from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in March to help bolster the local and state response to the outbreak while also supplying pharmacies and state-run clinics with MMR vaccines and other supplies.
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Kennedy also had the team work with local schools and healthcare facilities to support contact investigations and reach out to communities to answer questions regarding healthcare.
"The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine," Kennedy wrote in the social media post. "I’ve spoken to Governor Abbott, and I’ve offered HHS’ continued support. At his request, we have redeployed CDC teams to Texas. We will continue to follow Texas’ lead and to offer similar resources to other affected jurisdictions."
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The grim Texas measles tally includes six infants and toddlers at a daycare center in Lubbock who tested positive within the past two weeks, according to NBC News.
Two of those children are among 56 people who have been hospitalized with measles in the area since the disease began spreading in January.
About one to three out of every 1,000 children infected with measles die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to data from the CDC.
Nearly one out of every 20 children with measles suffers from pneumonia, which is the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
The measles outbreak began in Texas in late January but has since spread to a few other states.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.