Measles Crisis Deepens

Texas is at the epicenter of a measles outbreak, with 642 confirmed cases…across 22 states, 499 of those in Texas, according to Kennedy. The outbreak has claimed at least three lives, including two children.The US Health and Human Services Department confirmed one child’s death, stating the cause remained under inquiry. A spokesperson for the UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, said the child was receiving treatment for complications of measles before dying.

Kennedy’s Dual Messaging

kennedy attended the funeral of Daisy Hildebrand, an unvaccinated eight-year-old who died from measles. Subsequently, he praised Richard Bartlett and Ben Edwards, two practitioners employing unconventional treatments. Kennedy stated he visited with Bartlett and Edwards, claiming they had treated and healed some 300 measles-stricken Mennonite children.

However, Kennedy also touted the MMR vaccine as the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles. He noted that after deploying a CDC team to Texas and supplying MMR vaccines, the growth rates for new cases and hospitalizations have flattened.

My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief.

Robert F Kennedy Jr., via X

Alternative Approaches Under Scrutiny

Bartlett and Edwards advocate for treatments that diverge from conventional medicine:

• Richard Bartlett: Disciplined in 2003 by the Texas Medical Board for inappropriate treatment of patients with intravenous antibiotics and other medications. Kennedy’s tweet indicated Bartlett used aerosolized budesonide and clarithromycin to treat measles. He previously claimed these drugs were ingredients in his magic bullet treatment for Covid-19.
• Ben Edwards: Operates a vaccine-free wellness practice promoting nutrition and treating patients with cod liver oil and vitamins. edwards also advocates for budesonide,a corticosteroid.

Kennedy previously told Fox News that budesonide produced vrey, very good results, with patients experiencing almost miraculous and instantaneous recoveries.

Vaccine Hesitancy Fuels Outbreak

Authorities report that Kayley Fehr, a six-year-old who died in February, was also unvaccinated. Gaines County, which includes Seminole, has a high vaccine exemption rate: nearly 18%, compared to 3% nationally.

Richard Bartlett’s Past

Bartlett’s career has been marked by controversy. Patients have complained of receiving unnecessary diagnostic tests, medications or treatments. In 2021, he received a criminal trespass warning for allegedly rifling through trash bags at a hospital where he did not work.