1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

As a physician, I am writing to urge you to call for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. His appointment has directly contributed to a public health crisis that is erasing decades of progress against preventable disease. Since the beginning of 2025, measles has infected more than 2,600 Americans across all but six states. The CDC reported 733 confirmed cases across 20 states as of February 5, 2025, though state officials report even higher numbers. South Carolina alone documented 920 cases as of February 3. This outbreak threatens our nation's measles elimination status, achieved in 2000 through consistent vaccination efforts. The root cause is clear. Kindergarten vaccination rates have fallen from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in 2024-2025, dropping below the threshold needed for herd immunity. While Kennedy now encourages measles vaccination, the damage from his years of vaccine skepticism cannot be undone with belated statements. His characterization of the measles vaccine as "leaky" with waning effectiveness is, as Dr. Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia stated, "dead wrong." The measles vaccine protects for life. We are witnessing the consequences of elevating conspiracy theories over established science. Previous generations of public health officials worked tirelessly to eliminate measles from this country. That achievement is now in jeopardy because the person leading our health agencies spent years undermining confidence in the very tools that made elimination possible. Even Dr. Mehmet Oz, the CMS administrator, felt compelled to plead with Americans on February 8 to "take the vaccine, please." When political appointees must beg the public to accept proven medical interventions, leadership has failed. I urge you to publicly call for Kennedy's resignation and support legislation that would require Senate confirmation for future HHS secretaries to demonstrate basic scientific literacy and commitment to evidence-based medicine. Our children deserve better than trading proven public health victories for dangerous misinformation.