The US health secretary added that he would’ve made sweeping changes ‘on day one’ but he had to follow the law

As the death toll from the worst measles outbreak in decades rises, Robert F Kennedy Jr headlined the Washington DC conference of the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense, which he led for nearly a decade.

“Let me be clear. You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House,” Kennedy, now serving as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told anti-vaccine activists at the conference in a nearly hour-and-a-half-long speech. He urged patience, saying that he would’ve made sweeping changes “on day one” but that he had to follow the law in order to make permanent change.

State reportedly asks for emergency assistance as state Democratic governor spars with US health secretary

Pennsylvania is seeking emergency assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a major measles outbreak spreads across the state. The state warned the request could be withdrawn unless the federal agency publicly recognizes four measles-associated deaths reported by the state.

The Pennsylvania department of health has begun the process of requesting CDC emergency support known as an Epi-Aid, according to a letter reviewed by the Guardian. The letter was first reported by Reuters on Thursday.

As the country’s top public health official spends his time in office undermining science, doctors and advocates mount an urgent campaign for childhood vaccines

On an early September morning, dozens of families stood in line outside a clinic in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. It was “exclusion day”, the deadline by which students without complete immunizations are barred from returning to class.

Instead of turning families away, school district leaders partnered with the county health department to vaccinate kids nearby so they could go back to their desks. That day, 42 middle and high school students were vaccinated to protect against tetanus, pertussis and meningitis, among other diseases.