RFK Jr. Offers To Send In Backup To Help New York With Measles Emergency
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke with a Democratic governor on Tuesday and offered to send in federal help to respond to the Measles emergency she declared days earlier.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke with a Democratic governor on Tuesday and offered to send in federal help to respond to the measles emergency she declared days earlier.
In speaking with Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the HHS secretary “offered the full support of HHS and CDC as New York responds to the measles outbreak,” an HHS spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The spokesperson confirmed that Kennedy “directly” connected Hochul with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Erica Schwartz and that both the HHS and CDC “teams stand ready to provide whatever assistance the state needs.”
“Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, CDC has mounted an aggressive response to measles outbreaks across the country. Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, New Mexico, and Wisconsin requested CDC Epi-Aids and worked alongside federal teams to help bring their outbreaks rapidly and successfully under control,” the spokesperson told the DCNF in a statement. “If New York requests an Epi-Aid, CDC stands ready to deploy epidemiologists and other experts to support the state’s identified needs.”
“No state can address this on its own, which is why the governor will partner with anyone who can support our efforts to protect New Yorkers,” Houchul spokesperson Nicolette Simmonds said, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Hochul has been outspoken in her approach to increase vaccination efforts in the state in order to fight against the disease. New York reported 108 measles cases as of Saturday.
“As New York State’s 57th Governor, I look forward to working together to rebuild our communities and continue to move our great state forward,” Hochul said in a statement sent to the DCNF. “Over the past seven years, I have traveled throughout the state and continue to be inspired by the strength, diversity, and perseverance of New Yorkers. I promise to do everything I can, every single day, to create a stronger, safer future for you, our families, and our communities and to make government a force for good once again.”