(Bloomberg) — Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to urge vaccination against whooping cough, as a nationwide outbreak is on track to hit a record.
The leader of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions sent a letter to Kennedy on Friday asking him to make a public statement about the vaccine’s ability to protect children from the bacterial infection. Kennedy has cast doubt on the safety and effectiveness of some vaccines and previously linked immunizations to autism.
“I want to work together to stop pertussis,” Cassidy wrote. “Your strong public support for this vaccine will save lives. Your words are a powerful tool in protecting the health of the American people.”
Cassidy and Kennedy have had a fraught relationship because of immunizations. The senator voted to confirm Kennedy as the nation’s top health official after being promised that he wouldn’t derail vaccine access. Since then, Kennedy dismantled an influential immunization panel and hand-picked replacement members, including vaccine critics.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has been on the rise in recent years. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded more than 20,000 infections this year as of Sept. 6. The US is on track to rival a 2012 outbreak that was the largest since a new vaccine was introduced in 1991.
“We cannot lose more lives or allow these outbreaks to continue growing across the United States,” Cassidy wrote. The CDC maintains that vaccinations are the best way to prevent infection. The share of kindergarteners vaccinated against common childhood diseases, including for whooping cough, has continued to decline in recent years.
Whooping cough isn’t the only vaccine-preventable disease causing concern. Earlier this year, measles infections rose to their highest levels in three decades.
In the letter, Cassidy praised Kennedy for encouraging vaccinations during the height of the measles outbreak. Kennedy previously said it was a “personal” choice to get vaccinated.
Even among vaccinated people, protection against pertussis can wane over time. The CDC recommends the shot and boosters for healthy children, pregnant women and adults who were not immunized. While vaccinated people can still contract the disease, their symptoms may be milder and they are less likely to spread the bacteria.
The DTaP vaccine is recommended for babies as young as two months, with two booster shots by six months of age.
–With assistance from Rachel Cohrs Zhang.
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