RFK Jr.: “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me”

It seems difficult for RFK Jr. at the helm of the HHS to satisfy the majority of his largely anti-vaccine supporters, while managing a health crisis marked by a measles outbreak that is both worrying and preventable.

This outbreak highlights a vulnerability in some communities, where vaccine coverage is weakened by a growing distrust of public health, fueled among other things by anti-vaccine stances, including those of the new head of HHS.

RFK Jr. was appearing before Congress for the first time since his nomination, in a hearing focused on his management of the Department of Health (HHS), including the massive layoffs he ordered, his controversial stance on vaccines and his response to the measles epidemic.

Some of his comments attracted particular attention, notably when he said that Americans should not follow his health advice.

As a measles epidemic strikes more than 1,000 people in 31 states, Kennedy has faced sharp criticism from Congress for his past and recent statements on vaccines.

But when asked if he would vaccinate his young children against measles, he replied that he would “probably” vaccinate them, but added: “I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice, from me”.

When asked to give a yes or no answer, Kennedy seemed to struggle to articulate his position on measles vaccination.

He explained that if he answered the question “directly”, it might give the impression that he was giving advice to others, which he prefers to avoid: “It will seem like I’m giving advice to other people and I don’t want to be doing that.”

Two unvaccinated children, aged six and eight, died of measles in Texas. These are the first deaths linked to the disease in the United States since 2015. Health authorities said the two victims attended an elementary school and stressed the importance of vaccination to avoid such tragedies.