RFK Jr.. has some health advice for everyone! America is battling important economic issues, bound by trade tariff tensions and reports of inflation and financial instability. There have been more than 250 cases of measles in West Texas and New Mexico, and two deaths have been recorded so far.
Measles cases have also increased in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. This simple disease is a highly infectious viral infection that can induce signs like a high fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, and a characteristic red, blotchy skin rash, which can be fatal.
According to Financial Express, there are vaccines for it in the present scenario, like the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines. The first shot is usually advised for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second for children between 4 and 6 years old.
However, Texas is currently facing an outbreak, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described as three or more related cases. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suggested that exposing oneself to natural immunity is the best way to recover from measles.
Kennedy’s comments come after the news that Texas has recorded 223 cases, of which twenty-nine people were hospitalized. The CDC has urged caution among healthcare workers and people going out of town or mingling in public places.
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In an interview with Fox News, Kennedy questioned the vaccine’s effectiveness and noted that it surely does not provide lifelong protection compared to the body’s natural healing capacity.
“It used to be, when I was a kid, that everybody got measles. And the measles gave you lifetime protection against measles infection,” he said, swiping at the vaccine. “The vaccine doesn’t do that. The vaccine is effective for some people for life, but for many people it wanes,” he quoted.
Meanwhile, information suggests that the vaccination rates are lower in Texas than in the rest of the areas, partially due to myths and fear covering the deadly COVID-19.
According to the CDC, the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides 93% protection against measles after one dose and 97% protection after two doses. RFK Jr. also discussed the delicate issue of eternal immunity later in the interview, which refers to the transfer of immune protection from a mother to her baby.
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This phenomenon can occur via transplacental transfer and through mother’s milk after birth. However, while maternal antibodies can offer some shield against diseases like measles during the early months of life, this passive immunity typically lags after about six months, leaving babies more prone to infections if they are not vaccinated.
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According to Healthline, other ways to avoid the risky virus besides using the MMR vaccine are adopting mindful tips in daily life, like good hand-washing hygiene and reducing sharing of personal items with people who may show symptoms of the virus.
These can include eating utensils, drinking glasses, and toothbrushes and not being in close contact with people who are coughing, having a runny nose, or possibly having rash symptoms.
