Washington
Latest Coverage
See all articles
U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier discusses vaccine hesitation consequences as King County records first measles case
King County has recorded Washington state's first measles case of 2025. Measles is extremely contagious for those who aren't vaccinated.
U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier is a pediatrician when she's not a politician. She is worried that more parents will choose not to vaccinate their children now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in charge of the Health and Human Services Department. Kennedy has long spread discredited theories about vaccines, stoking fears about them. Recently, he said the measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico was "not unusual."
RELATED: Flu levels are at a 15-year high in the U.S., but many Washington children haven't gotten their flu shot
"Well, first of all, they shouldn't be common," Rep. Schrier told KUOW, noting that measles is one of the most contagious diseases in existence, which is preventable through vaccination.
"It is so contagious, it is such a danger, and it is such a miserable disease, why would you even risk this when you have such a safe and effective vaccine?"