WATCH: Sen. Wyden grills RFK Jr. on measles stance | Trump confirmation hearings

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday to answer whether measles is deadly.

In a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, Wyden pointed to the nominee’s book, “The Measles Book,” in which Kennedy wrote that parents had been misled into believing that the preventable disease can be fatal. The World Health Organization says that before widespread vaccination, major measles epidemics caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year around the globe. In 2023, more than 100,000 people died, most under the age of 5.

Wyden referenced 2019 Kennedy’s visit to Samoa, which suffered a measles outbreak that year that killed more than 80 people, most of whom were children. He has denied that his travels were related to promoting vaccine skepticism.

For years, Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has spread misinformation and falsehoods about vaccines and their safety, including the heavily debunked claim that they cause autism. Kennedy has also promoted drinking raw milk, which the Food and Drug Administration says can pose a “serious health risk.” His views on these issues and others have prompted concern among health experts about his nomination.

Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, ran for president as an independent in 2024 before dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump.

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