Ya don’t say: Measles, RFK Jr. reappear in the Valley at the same time

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the prominent anti-vaxxer who happens to also have a death grip on the American health system as the current Secretary of Health and Human Services, returned to the Valley this past week for a series of official appearances. A trip to the Phoenix area was also made by one of RFK Jr.’s closet acquaintances: measles.

On Thursday, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health announced that a new measles case had been identified in the county, which is not linked to the county’s previous four measles cases and “has no known source of exposure.” The county listed three exposure sites, all in Queen Creek:

• the Costco on South Ellsworth Road, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 3
• the Walmart on East Rittenhouse Road, from 8:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on April 4
• Generation Church Queen Creek at Faith Mather Sossaman Elementary, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 5

Kennedy, under whose watch measles cases have exploded in Arizona and elsewhere, was in the Valley from April 4 through April 8. Coincidence?

Well, yes. Kennedy may have done more than his fair share to weaken the public health system’s measles preparedness, but it’s not like he’s personally reintroducing the incredibly infectious virus around the country. Though just to be sure, Phoenix New Times cross-checked the locations of his public appearances — including a campaign event with GOP congressional candidate Jay Feely and an appearance at the Gila River Indian Community — with the exposure sites. There was no overlap.

Still, it’s no coincidence that measles has thrived on Kennedy’s watch. Prior to joining the Trump administration last year, Kennedy was the preeminent anti-vaxxer voice in the world, helping to spread unfounded vaccine skepticism by propagating debunked conspiracy theories. In his time at HHS, the department — and its subagencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — has systematically worked to dismantle vaccine protections.

In January, the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee changed the recommended childhood vaccine schedule to no longer recommend several vaccines in early childhood, despite proven and longstanding safety records for each. A federal judge blocked that change, but on Thursday, the CDC attempted to maneuver around that by announcing a new charter for the committee.

The measles vaccine was not among those the CDC stopped recommending, but Kennedy’s track record on measles is less than stellar. When a huge measles outbreak popped up in West Texas in early 2025, Kennedy pushed unconventional treatments, like taking vitamin A, rather than advocating for vaccine uptake. He’s also spread misinformation about the measles vaccine, falsely claiming it causes deaths every year. Measles outbreaks have exploded across the country on his watch — between 2025 and 2026, there have been 290 cases in Arizona, 597 in Utah, 979 in Texas and 1,000 in South Carolina, up from a combined seven in those states in 2024 — leading Kennedy to finally push for vaccination publicly.

In Arizona, measles has spread in the former fundamentalist Mormon community of Short Creek on the Arizona-Utah border, but more urban areas have largely been spared. Maricopa County has had four cases before this week, though they haven’t led to sustained outbreaks. But there are reasons to be on high alert. For one, vaccination rates in the East Valley are generally below what’s required for herd immunity. Secondly, one of the exposure sites was an Easter egg hunt attended by children, who are more likely to suffer severe health effects if they’re unvaccinated.

“Any potential exposure to measles at a community event is concerning, especially one involving children,” said county health department spokesperson Courtney Kreuzwiesner said in an emailed statement to New Times. “At this time, Maricopa County Department of Public Health is not seeing evidence that this case poses a greater risk than others. Measles is highly contagious in any setting where people are unvaccinated, which is why we are focused on identifying and notifying those who may have been exposed so they can monitor for symptoms and prevent further spread.”

In its initial advisory about the new measles exposure, the county health department hit a lot of the notes that Kennedy has often been reluctant to play. It explained that measles spreads easily, infecting roughly 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to it. It shared that there is no treatment for measles and that “it can have long-term health impacts,” including subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, “a brain infection which may not appear until years after a person’s initial measles infection.” It cautioned to watch for symptoms for 21 days.