Paul Ellertson, online publishing coordinator

If you thought this year couldn’t get worse, you’d be wrong. When it comes to the health and safety of Americans, conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers are now running the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Reported on Feb. 26, one child has tragically passed away from measles. Not only that, but Texas is going through a bit of a measles outbreak, which goes to show that not getting a vaccine is a pretty bad idea and conversely, that they DO work. It’s so bad that it’s not even selfish because you’re hurting yourself. The death of this child is the first death by measles since 2015. Measles, while highly contagious, is very preventable. It’s called getting a couple shots real quick when you’re young, so you don’t have to worry about it later. 

This is also the worst measles outbreak in Texas in 30 years, according to AP News. The child died Feb. 23 after being hospitalized. I’m not super shocked that Texas is a state that struggles with this stuff because many people in Texas are anti-vaxxers and very conservative. While doctors are saying this is a huge deal that needs to be taken very seriously, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr.’s response is very different. 

RFK Jr. dismissed the case as “not unusual,” according to AP News. I don’t know, this seems pretty serious and the fact that Texas still has pretty noticeable outbreaks is very concerning. And as of Feb. 25, 18 people have been hospitalized due to this outbreak, many of which are children.

RFK Jr. also misspoke, saying there were two deaths when there was only one. This tells me he both doesn’t care and is incredibly lazy. RFK Jr. being the head of the department and not only an anti-vaxxer, but being lazy at his job is far too concerning.    

The areas of West Texas where measles is happening tend to be towns whose people operate oil wells. The oil industry is known to be conservative and not take science seriously. According to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office, vaccination teams operate in these towns now. A bit late for that, no?  

These are people who spend their entire lives working to understand and develop the best ways to keep the public safe. I do understand being a little nervous around something that you yourself don’t understand, but all you have to do is watch a YouTube video or talk to a doctor or pharmacist, which for the most part isn’t that hard. 

Many anti-vaxxers I’ve heard tell me that “God will protect them.” It takes everything I have to avoid saying, “Sorry, but I don’t think that’s gonna work for you because that’s the general trend.” I will never understand why it’s so hard to believe in the power of vaccines and the scientists trying their best to keep us safe.

If you thought this year couldn’t get worse, you’d be wrong. When it comes to the health and safety of Americans, conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers are now running the Department of Health and Human Services.