Nisha Pandey

Health and Me

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-CDC Vaccine Advisor Says Measles Outbreak Bigger Than Reported, Slams RFK Jr’s ‘No-See Evil’ Approach

The discrepancy between Pennsylvania’s reported measles-associated deaths and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national tally sparked a political and public-health controversy.

In an exclusive interview with <strong><em>HealthandMe</em></strong>, <strong><span rel="noindex">Dr Paul Offit</span>, paediatrician and director of the <span rel="noindex">Vaccine Education Center</span> at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and former member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices</strong>, accused US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of adopting a “see-no-evil approach” to the outbreak.

He criticised the Trump administration’s handling of <span>measles deaths</span>, the proposal to split the <span>measles</span>, mumps and rubella (<span>MMR</span>) vaccine, and a new federal initiative to expand vaccine-injury reporting.

Pennsylvania reported six measles-associated deaths, according to its Department of Health. The CDC, meanwhile, had confirmed two deaths.

The figures have become the focus of a dispute over how deaths among <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/what-happens-after-measles-infection-the-hidden-risks-that-can-last-for-years-article-156333523" data-type="tilCustomLink">measles</a> patients should be classified and included in government data.

<h2>‘These Are Measles-Related Deaths’: Dr <span rel="noindex">Paul Offit</span> On CDC’s Death Toll</h2>

Also read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/us-shelved-poultry-vaccination-due-to-rfk-jrs-vaccine-concerns-can-vaccine-help-control-bird-flu-article-156340255" data-type="tilCustomLink">US Shelved Poultry Vaccination Due To RFK Jr’s Vaccine Skepticism: Can Vaccine Help Control Bird Flu?</a>

During the interview, <span>Offit</span> spoke about the discrepancy between Pennsylvania’s report of six deaths and CDC’s count of two. “These are measles-related deaths,” he said, arguing that measles had contributed to the deaths reported by the state.

“Had these children or adults not had measles, in the case of the one-day-old and few-month-old, they would have never died,” Offit said.

He accused Kennedy of refusing to acknowledge the state’s report and said the federal government’s approach risked obscuring the seriousness of the outbreak.

“This is just Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refusing to acknowledge the fact that he is an excellent anti-vaccine activist,” Offit said.

The disagreement involves more than a difference in numbers. Pennsylvania health officials count deaths that meet the state’s epidemiological definition of measles-associated fatalities.

The federal government has moved towards requiring confirmation through the National Center for Health Statistics. It now considers the fact that measles is listed as the underlying cause of death before including a fatality in its tally. This process can take longer than state reporting.

A death occurring in someone with measles does not automatically establish that the infection caused the death. However, measles can lead to serious complications, including <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/sixth-measles-associated-death-reported-in-pennsylvania-as-cases-cross-1100-article-156325847" data-type="tilCustomLink">pneumonia</a> and brain inflammation, which can be fatal.

<h2>US Measles Outbreak Is ‘The Tip Of A Much, Much Bigger Iceberg’</h2>

Also read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/sixth-measles-associated-death-reported-in-pennsylvania-as-cases-cross-1100-article-156325847" data-type="tilCustomLink">Sixth Measles-Associated Death Reported In Pennsylvania As Cases Cross 1,100</a>

Offit said the reported number of measles cases in Pennsylvania could substantially underestimate the actual scale of transmission. “You can assume that's off by a factor of at least five. I think there's between 5,000 and 10,000 cases of measles in our state,” he said during the interview.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported 1,260 confirmed cases across 42 counties as of October 16, alongside 225 hospitalisations. “So this is the tip of a much, much bigger iceberg,” Offit said.

He also highlighted the risk among adults who may neither have acquired immunity through previous infection nor received vaccination.

“The thing that strikes me about measles right now is it's an adult disease,” he said, pointing to people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who may remain susceptible.

Offit argued that the resurgence should be attributed to failure to vaccinate rather than a failure of the vaccine itself. “Certainly not a vaccine failure. The vaccine doesn't work if you don't get it,” he said.

Also read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/trump-signs-order-to-change-childhood-vaccine-schedule-amid-measles-outbreak-split-mmr-into-three-shots-article-155571030" data-type="tilCustomLink">Trump Signs Order To Change Childhood Vaccine Schedule Amid Measles Outbreak, Split MMR Into Three Shots</a>

While addressing the measles crisis in the United States, Offit also addressed <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/trump-says-he-psychologically-needs-to-pop-aspirin-every-day-but-is-it-actually-safe-article-156272383" data-type="tilCustomLink">President Donald Trump’s</a> proposal to separate the combined MMR vaccine into three individual shots.

The MMR vaccine has been used for decades. Trump’s executive order to split the vaccine had revived a debate that the combined vaccine causes autism, which has been discredited.

He referred to research conducted over several decades that has not established a causal link between MMR vaccination and autism. “There was the MMR vaccine in 1971. So we've had 50 plus years of the MMR vaccine,” he said.

Offit argued that separating the vaccines would increase the number of injections children receive without providing an established benefit.

“There's no reason to do it. Just makes it more expensive, less available, and has a longer period of time when children aren't getting vaccines,” he said. “And they get six shots instead of two for no benefit.”

He also said the proposal had made parents more skeptical about vaccination.

The debate sparked concerns as delaying vaccination can leave children susceptible to measles during the period before they receive protection. Any changes to vaccine schedules or formulations need to be assessed against evidence of safety, effectiveness and practical consequences for vaccine access.

<h2>On <span rel="noindex">RFK Jr</span>.’s Vaccine-Injury Reporting Proposal</h2>

Flu Vaccine Guide: Best Time to Get Vaccinated & Side Effects | Doctors Explain

Offit also criticised Kennedy’s initiative to expand research into vaccine injuries and improve reporting through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (<span>VAERS</span>).

Announced by the US Department of Health and Human Services in October, the initiative includes a new National Institutes of Health clinic, plans to record vaccine-related adverse events in electronic health records, modernisation of VAERS and a proposal to reimburse doctors for reporting suspected vaccine injuries.

When asked if the initiative was a useful step towards vaccine safety monitoring, Offit replied: “Not in his hands.”

He alleged that the information collected under the programme could be misrepresented to support claims linking vaccines to chronic diseases, including autism, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.  

Offit also questioned whether the existing reporting system was being misunderstood. He said that "we did a pretty good job" establishing the existing vaccine injury reporting system. 

He further described VAERS as a “noisy warning system”, explaining that reports can help identify adverse events but cannot establish that a vaccine caused a reported health problem.

The CDC says VAERS accepts reports of health problems after vaccination even when the person reporting them is unsure whether the vaccine caused the event. 

Offit cited the example of the RotaShield <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/drc-says-ebola-outbreak-has-peaked-un-warns-its-still-growing-article-156162102" data-type="tilCustomLink">rotavirus vaccine</a> to illustrate how safety signals should be investigated. Reports of a possible serious adverse event prompted further study, which helped establish a link and led to the vaccine’s withdrawal.

His did not say that vaccine safety should go unexamined, but that reports must be investigated using reliable scientific methods.

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The discrepancy between Pennsylvania’s reported measles-associated deaths and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national tally sparked a political and public-health controversy. In an exclusive interview with HealthandMe, Dr Paul Offit, paediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and former member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, accused US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of adopting a “see-no-evil approach” to the outbreak. He criticised the Trump administration’s handling of measles deaths, the proposal to split the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and a new federal initiative to expand vaccine-injury reporting.Pennsylvania reported six measles-associated deaths, according to its Department of Health. The CDC, meanwhile, had confirmed two deaths. The figures have become the focus of a dispute over how deaths among measles patients should be classified and included in government data. ‘These Are Measles-Related Deaths’: Dr Paul Offit On CDC’s Death Toll Also read: US Shelved Poultry Vaccination Due To RFK Jr’s Vaccine Skepticism: Can Vaccine Help Control Bird Flu?During the interview, Offit spoke about the discrepancy between Pennsylvania’s report of six deaths and CDC’s count of two. “These are measles-related deaths,” he said, arguing that measles had contributed to the deaths reported by the state.“Had these children or adults not had measles, in the case of the one-day-old and few-month-old, they would have never died,” Offit said.He accused Kennedy of refusing to acknowledge the state’s report and said the federal government’s approach risked obscuring the seriousness of the outbreak.“This is just Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refusing to acknowledge the fact that he is an excellent anti-vaccine activist,” Offit said.The disagreement involves more than a difference in numbers. Pennsylvania health officials count deaths that meet the state’s epidemiological definition of measles-associated fatalities. The federal government has moved towards requiring confirmation through the National Center for Health Statistics. It now considers the fact that measles is listed as the underlying cause of death before including a fatality in its tally. This process can take longer than state reporting. A death occurring in someone with measles does not automatically establish that the infection caused the death. However, measles can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and brain inflammation, which can be fatal. US Measles Outbreak Is ‘The Tip Of A Much, Much Bigger Iceberg’Also read: Sixth Measles-Associated Death Reported In Pennsylvania As Cases Cross 1,100Offit said the reported number of measles cases in Pennsylvania could substantially underestimate the actual scale of transmission. “You can assume that's off by a factor of at least five. I think there's between 5,000 and 10,000 cases of measles in our state,” he said during the interview.Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported 1,260 confirmed cases across 42 counties as of October 16, alongside 225 hospitalisations. “So this is the tip of a much, much bigger iceberg,” Offit said. He also highlighted the risk among adults who may neither have acquired immunity through previous infection nor received vaccination.“The thing that strikes me about measles right now is it's an adult disease,” he said, pointing to people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who may remain susceptible.Offit argued that the resurgence should be attributed to failure to vaccinate rather than a failure of the vaccine itself. “Certainly not a vaccine failure. The vaccine doesn't work if you don't get it,” he said.On MMR Split ProposalAlso read: Trump Signs Order To Change Childhood Vaccine Schedule Amid Measles Outbreak, Split MMR Into Three ShotsWhile addressing the measles crisis in the United States, Offit also addressed President Donald Trump’s proposal to separate the combined MMR vaccine into three individual shots.The MMR vaccine has been used for decades. Trump’s executive order to split the vaccine had revived a debate that the combined vaccine causes autism, which has been discredited.He referred to research conducted over several decades that has not established a causal link between MMR vaccination and autism. “There was the MMR vaccine in 1971. So we've had 50 plus years of the MMR vaccine,” he said.Offit argued that separating the vaccines would increase the number of injections children receive without providing an established benefit.“There's no reason to do it. Just makes it more expensive, less available, and has a longer period of time when children aren't getting vaccines,” he said. “And they get six shots instead of two for no benefit.”He also said the proposal had made parents more skeptical about vaccination.The debate sparked concerns as delaying vaccination can leave children susceptible to measles during the period before they receive protection. Any changes to vaccine schedules or formulations need to be assessed against evidence of safety, effectiveness and practical consequences for vaccine access.On RFK Jr.’s Vaccine-Injury Reporting Proposal               Offit also criticised Kennedy’s initiative to expand research into vaccine injuries and improve reporting through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).Announced by the US Department of Health and Human Services in October, the initiative includes a new National Institutes of Health clinic, plans to record vaccine-related adverse events in electronic health records, modernisation of VAERS and a proposal to reimburse doctors for reporting suspected vaccine injuries. When asked if the initiative was a useful step towards vaccine safety monitoring, Offit replied: “Not in his hands.”He alleged that the information collected under the programme could be misrepresented to support claims linking vaccines to chronic diseases, including autism, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.  Offit also questioned whether the existing reporting system was being misunderstood. He said that "we did a pretty good job" establishing the existing vaccine injury reporting system. He further described VAERS as a “noisy warning system”, explaining that reports can help identify adverse events but cannot establish that a vaccine caused a reported health problem.The CDC says VAERS accepts reports of health problems after vaccination even when the person reporting them is unsure whether the vaccine caused the event. Offit cited the example of the RotaShield rotavirus vaccine to illustrate how safety signals should be investigated. Reports of a possible serious adverse event prompted further study, which helped establish a link and led to the vaccine’s withdrawal.His did not say that vaccine safety should go unexamined, but that reports must be investigated using reliable scientific methods.

exclusive: ex-cdc vaccine advisor says measles outbreak bigger than reported, slams rfk jr’s ‘no-see evil’ approach

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EXCLUSIVE: Ex-CDC Vaccine Advisor Says Measles Outbreak Bigger Than Reported, Slams RFK Jr’s ‘No-See Evil’ Approach

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