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HHS Secretary Kennedy Urges MMR Vaccine Amid Measles Surge

8/3/2026

23 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash on August 2, 2026.
He urged parents to give children the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine despite contradicting scientific data.
Kennedy blamed COVID-19 lockdowns for the tenfold rise in measles cases, which reached over 2,300 in 2026, a 35-year high.
The CDC website and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya said no studies link vaccines to autism.

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Story summary

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash on August 2, 2026.
He urged parents to give children the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine despite contradicting scientific data.
Kennedy blamed COVID-19 lockdowns for the tenfold rise in measles cases, which reached over 2,300 in 2026, a 35-year high.
The CDC website and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya said no studies link vaccines to autism.