RFK Jr. claims 'leaky' measles vaccine wanes over time. Scientists say he's wrong.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the measles vaccine is "leaky" due to the fact that its effectiveness wanes implicit time, thing aesculapian experts dispute.

Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who present oversees the nation's national wellness agencies, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doing a "very bully job" of controlling the measles outbreak that has infected much than 700 Americans successful 25 states arsenic of April 10.

But Kennedy suggested the vaccine effectiveness wanes astatine a complaint of astir 5% a twelvemonth – an assertion not backed by scientists.

"People get measles due to the fact that they don't vaccinate," Kennedy said Tuesday during a property conference. "They get measles due to the fact that the vaccine wanes. The vaccines wane astir 4.8% per twelvemonth ... So, you know, it's a leaky vaccine, and that occupation is ever going to beryllium around."

Kennedy's remarks came during a property lawsuit Tuesday with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz. The event, titled Make Indiana Healthy Again, touted steps the authorities was taking to amended health.

During a question and reply league with reporters, Kennedy said the doctors request to cognize however to dainty measles, including its attacks connected the lungs and body. Measles does not person immoderate Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments, conscionable the vaccine to forestall the disease.

"We can't trust simply connected the vaccine," Kennedy said. "We besides person to cognize however to dainty measles."

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Scientists disputed Kennedy's assertion that the measles vaccine's effectiveness wanes implicit time.

"He's dormant wrong," said Dr. Paul Offit, manager of the Vaccine Education Center astatine Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The measles vaccine protects you for the remainder of your life. The conception that it's a leaky vaccine is dormant wrong."

Offit said radical who received 1 dose of the measles vaccine betwixt 1968 and 1989 oregon 2 doses of the vaccine since past person lifelong immunity to the highly-infectious disease. He said the vaccine stimulates representation cells, which confer lifelong immunity.

Measles was eliminated successful the U.S. by 2000 but has resurfaced with periodic outbreaks, mostly among radical who are not vaccinated.

In the existent outbreak, 97% of measles cases occurred successful unvaccinated patients oregon those whose vaccination presumption is unknown, according to the CDC.

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The CDC confirmed 712 cases arsenic of Friday but Offit said determination are apt acold much cases due to the fact that the illness spreads rapidly among unvaccinated populations. The existent outbreak has dispersed rapidly successful a Mennonite assemblage successful Texas, and radical wrong the assemblage mightiness beryllium reluctant to question aesculapian help, Offit said.

"I've had much than 1 nationalist wellness official, including radical connected the ground, who said this could beryllium betwixt 3,000 and 5,000 cases," Offit said. "This is the worst measles epidemic we've had successful 30 years."

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: RFK Jr. claims measles vaccine is leaky. Experts disagree.