Anti-Vaccine Influencers Hold Grip On Texas Families Even As Their Kids Die
They continue to instill confusion, doubt, and fear about vaccines, the only thing that can stop these outbreaks.
One of the biggest shocks coming out of the big Texas measles outbreak is how many of these families are sticking with the view that the MMR vaccine is bad, even after their unvaccinated children have died.
“I know it’s not effective because some family members ended up getting the vaccine, and they got the measles way worse than some of my kids,” said Hildebrand, who is raising two other children with his wife, Eva. “The vaccine was not effective.”
RFK Jr stayed silent on vaccine, says father of child who died from measles
I mean, how do you still believe that the vaccine is not effective, or worse than being unvaccinated, when your unvaccinated child died?
The father of the first child to die, who was understandably taking the death very hard, explained that “Everyone has to die.”
While that’s true, no one has to die with measles when we have a safe and effective vaccine available to prevent these deaths!
The MMR vaccine has saved millions of lives.
Anti-Vaccine Influencers Hold Grip On Texas Families Even As Their Kids Die
Still, it is easy to see why these families continue to believe that vaccines are bad, even after their unvaccinated children died.
In addition to being easier than thinking you made a mistake that could have led to the death of your child, by skipping or delaying a vaccine, they are surrounded by anti-vaccine influencers who continue to push their propaganda.
Propaganda that measles is mild, and even good for you, and that the MMR vaccine is always bad for you.
Propaganda that measles can be prevented without vaccines and can be cured with budesonide and antibiotics.
Propaganda that children only die with measles when hospitals make mistakes.
Propaganda that healthy children don’t die with measles.
Propaganda that will keep these measles outbreaks going, with more and more cases and more and more deaths.
“Abrupt cutoffs in federal funding under President Donald Trump have also crippled some state efforts to vaccinate people against measles and other diseases.”
Some measles response plans crash to a halt after Trump cuts
Outbreaks that are getting harder to control…
Outbreaks that won’t stop until folks have had enough, realize that vaccines truly are safe, with few risks, are effective, and are necessary.
References
Anti-vaxxers are using the same tactics as cults do to attract followers on social media. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/perspectives/covid-19-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-social-media-cults/index.html
RFK Jr stayed silent on vaccine, says father of child who died from measles. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/08/texas-funeral-measles-vaccine-rfk-jr
His Daughter Was America’s First Measles Death in a Decade. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/texas-measles-outbreak-death-family/681985/
Some measles response plans crash to a halt after Trump cuts https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/08/some-measles-response-plans-crash-to-a-halt-after-trump-cuts/
This is very similar to folks whose children die from shootings reminding firmly opposed to any kind of gun control. To admit one made a mistake/or change one’s perspective would risk being culpable for the senseless death of their own child. I believe these responses we see function as self-preservation in the face of an unimaginable tragedy.
Regardless of their rationale, my heart breaks for these families whose children have died.
These people are so blind it’s mind-boggling. Vaccines are weakened or dead versions of the virus which teach your body to react to it. So to say that it is less safe that the full blown wild virus is illogical. And this thinking leads to serious harm and even death.