Former CDC official: RFK Jr.'s response to measles "not based on science"

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his associates pursued data on measles and its vaccine that was "not based on science or reality" while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) battled a significant measles outbreak last year, according to a former top CDC official. Dr. Debra Houry, the former CDC Chief Medical Officer, stated in an interview with "Face the Nation" that Kennedy and his allies were pushing an agenda rather than relying on scientific evidence.

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not based on science or reality, but trying to answer an agenda that was already in place.

Houry, who resigned last summer along with three other senior CDC officials, provided emails to the Senate health committee. These emails reveal requests for historical data on measles cases and deaths, even as the CDC was actively responding to an outbreak that saw over 2,000 cases nationwide, including two child deaths in West Texas. One email from Houry to Kennedy's aides stated that the "active measles response has to take priority."

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During all of that, we also get requests for 15 years of data on every single measles case and were there any other diseases that those people had, that died from measles.

"During all of that, we also get requests for 15 years of data on every single measles case and were there any other diseases that those people had, that died from measles," Houry told CBS News. She noted that concurrently, a group associated with Kennedy released a statement suggesting some measles deaths were not directly caused by the disease. "So, to me, it seemed like they were looking through CDC data, these requests to answer some questions from other organizations, or potentially promote their beliefs."

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So, to me, it seemed like they were looking through CDC data, these requests to answer some questions from other organizations, or potentially promote their beliefs.

Houry also voiced concerns about Kennedy's statements regarding the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. While Kennedy sometimes spoke positively about the vaccine, he also made inaccurate claims about its ingredients, such as the presence of fetal parts, and promoted alternative treatments. Houry mentioned attempting to provide Kennedy's aides with "appropriate talking points" to correct misinformation, emphasizing that there are no fetal parts in vaccines. The spread of such misinformation, Houry warned, "impacts lives" and could deter people from getting vaccinated during critical outbreaks, especially since CDC data shows about 93% of those who contracted measles last year were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.

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He would say things like there's fetal parts in vaccines, and I had sent an email to correct that, and said, how can we help him?