RFK Jr doubles down on wild false claim MMR vaccine contains ‘aborted fetus debris’

The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services has doubled down on false claims the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine contains “aborted fetus debris”.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine sceptic, made the remarks after the number of measles cases in a Texas outbreak topped 660 with dozens more reported in New Mexico.

Speaking live on air to reporters on News Nation’s program Wednesday, RFK Jr was asked to clarify what he meant when he said the MMR contains "a lot of aborted fetus debris."

“There are populations in our country like the Mennonites in Texas, were most afflicted, and they have religious objections to the vaccination” he began, adding “because the MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles. So they don’t want to take it.”

Medical professionals were quick to hit back at the claim when a clip of the remarks was shared on X.

Health campaigner and author Irwin Redlener, MD, wrote: “What?!?! HHS Scty RFK, Jr. asserted that MMR vaccines contain "aborted fetal parts" to explain why some Mennonites refuse vaccines.

“He's a human public health catastrophe and, mark my words, his aggressive ignorance will be responsible for countless deaths here and globally.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that as of April 24, there have been 884 confirmed measles cases across 25 states since January this year, the second highest annual number in a quarter of a century. Three people have also died of the illness.

One dose of the MMR vaccine is 93 per cent effective against measles, 72 per cent effective against mumps, and 97 per cent effective against rubella. A second dose of MMR boosts measles vaccine efficacy to 97 per cent and is 86 per cent effective against mumps.

Typically, the dose is administered during infancy, and children often get the MMRV vaccine, which protects them against varicella, also known as chickenpox.

Low vaccine take-up can also be due to issues around access and poverty rather than concerns about the jab itself, experts have said.

“It is scientifically impossible to get an infection with a vaccine,” the former chief medical officer for New York City, Dr. Tyler Evans, told The Independent in a recent interview.

“In those areas that have low vaccine coverage – including rural communities like the Mennonites – some of them just don’t have access. In rural communities, there is a lot of poverty, there are a lot of access issues, which can manifest in terms of transportation, in terms of not having clinical providers around – we call them ‘clinical deserts’,” Tyler said.