The New York Post Editorial Board challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the use of vaccines, writing in an open letter that he needs to visit Texas and New Mexico, which have experienced localized outbreaks of measles.
Kennedy's skepticism on vaccines was a contentious topic during his confirmation hearings this month.
The Post board wrote: "Go to Texas, Mr. Secretary, and preach the truth as only a convert can: This vaccine is safe, and getting children jabbed is an act of love. That's why all your children are vaccinated, despite your well-known concerns."
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported the first death attributed to the outbreak this week.
"Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus," the department posted on its web page. "During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia."
USA Today reported the initial outbreak in Texas started within a group of Mennonite families, considered to be an "undervaccinated" community.
The Post editorial closed its challenge to Kennedy by saying: "Maybe you won't persuade any Mennonites, but it will make national news and surely convince others elsewhere — and so quietly save lives. More, it'll settle the suspicions that risk undermining the rest of your Make America Healthy Again agenda, and so do even more good."