Former CDC chief says RFK Jr. spread measles misinformation during 2024 outbreak
Ex-CDC medical officer Dr. Debra Houry accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of seeking outdated data to support anti-vaccine claims while the agency was responding to the largest measles surge in two decades.
During the 2024 measles surge that produced more than 2,000 cases nationwide, former CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his aides requested years-old mortality data while CDC staff were focused on containment. Houry told "Face the Nation" that the requests were "not based on science or reality, but trying to answer an agenda that was already in place." She said Kennedy’s team asked for 15 years of case details and information on co-morbidities, even as a CDC-linked group claimed some deaths were unrelated to measles.
Houry also said she tried to correct Kennedy’s statements about vaccine ingredients, noting that no fetal tissue is present in vaccines. She said she offered "appropriate talking points" after Kennedy repeated false claims that vaccines contain fetal parts. The former CDC official warned that misinformation during an active outbreak could deter vaccination, noting that 93% of measles patients were unvaccinated or of unknown status.
Kennedy has promoted vitamin A as a measles cure, citing a CDC recommendation, and claimed studies show it dramatically reduces mortality. Houry said hospitals have seen cases of vitamin A toxicity linked to such messaging. The Department of Health and Human Services has not responded to requests for comment.