Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s personal visit to the family of a Texas girl who died of measles appeared to mark a slight shift for the former anti-vaccine activist, who has sought to downplay the seriousness of the outbreak.

Public health and infectious disease experts who have sounded alarm over the Trump administration's lackluster measles response gave Kennedy some credit for finally saying the measles vaccine is the "most effective way to prevent the spread" of the disease.

But that message is undercut by Kennedy’s continued mixed messages, public health funding cuts and the muzzling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), experts added.

“We are seeing at least some sign this administration understands they need to respond more appropriately,” said Jason Schwartz, an associate professor and vaccine researcher at the Yale School of Public Health.

“It’s encouraging that there was an acknowledgement of basic public health knowledge, but it reminds us of just how little we’ve heard from this administration about the benefits of vaccination,” Schwartz added. “It’s noteworthy that the acknowledgement was the stuff of headlines.”

Kennedy said the CDC has redeployed a team to assist state and local officials with........

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