Fmr Trump Surgeon Gen. Blames RFK Jr. Amid Measles Outbreak

The U.S. surgeon general in President Donald Trump's first administration is partly blaming Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for how vaccine skepticism has eroded the importance of herd immunity amid a measles outbreak in Texas and other parts of the Southwest.

In an editorial published on CNN Thursday, Jerome Adams wrote that the high rate of vaccine declines in the Texas Mennonite community where the measles outbreak began exemplifies how quickly measles can spread through an unvaccinated population, according to The Hill.

"While some may believe that abstaining from vaccination keeps them healthier or more resistant to diseases, the reality is that their 'immunity' has, until now, been borrowed from their vaccinated neighbors," wrote Adams. "This collective shield, known as herd immunity, is not automatic or enduring; it has been built over decades through high vaccination rates."

Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has acknowledged the importance of vaccines since the measles outbreak began and earlier this month urged parents to speak with their doctors about the benefits of the measles vaccine.

There have been 317 total confirmed cases of measles in Texas and New Mexico as of Tuesday, including 279 in Texas and 38 in Mexico. Texas Department of State Health Services data showed most of those cases were in Gaines County on the New Mexico border. One recent death has been linked to measles in an unvaccinated school-age child.

New Mexico Department of Health data showed most of its cases were in Lea County directly across the border from Gaines County. An unvaccinated individual in Lea County who died tested positive for measles, but the cause of death has yet to be determined.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 95% of cases stemmed from unvaccinated individuals. It said cases have been reported in 14 states as of March 13.

Adams accused Kennedy of fanning the flames of vaccine skepticism that has led to declining immunization rates.

"A significant driver of current skepticism has been Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the nonprofit organization he led, Children's Health Defense, which has spread vaccine mistrust and misinformation for years," Adams wrote. "Ironically — or perhaps inevitably — now that Kennedy is secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he faces the largest measles outbreak in Texas and the first child death from measles in over 20 years."

"Kennedy's legacy will be defined not by what he has said in the past but by what he does now. He will be remembered either as the vaccine skeptic who turned vaccine champion or as the man at the helm of HHS when America made measles great again. For the sake of our public health, and our children, we should all hope it's the former, not the latter."

Newsmax reached out to the White House and HHS for comment.