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24th March 2025
04:13pm GMT
The parents of a girl who became America's first measles death in a decade have given a disturbing interview in which they said they're still anti-vaccine and made a series of unproven health claims.
The couple insisted measles 'is good for the body' and urged parents not to give their children the MMR vaccine, which reduces the risk of catching measles 97 percent.
The parents, who are members of a Mennonite community in west Texas, spoke with Children's Health Defence, an anti-vaccine group founded by health chief Robert F Kennedy Jr, this week.
The highly contagious illness ripped through Texas and neighbouring New Mexico, infecting more than 300 people - more than the entire US in all of 2024.
All five of the couple's children had been infected and while four of their children had a mild illness, their six-year-old daughter, Kaylee, died after a three-week battle with measles.
Though the couple choked back tears as they discussed their daughter's death, they said it was Kaylee's 'time on Earth' and urged parents to avoid taking the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in favour of alternative treatments like cod liver oil and vitamin C.
Kaylee's mother, who spoke in German, told interviewers via a translator: "Don't do the shots. There are doctors that can help with measles. They're not as bad as [the media] are making it out to be."
Meanwhile, her father claimed 'measles are good for the body' and can protect the immune system against other diseases, a theory promoted by RFK Jr.
The translator added: "They think it's not as bad as the media is making it out to be, and it was [Kaylee's] time on Earth.
"They believe that she's better off where she is now versus all the negativity and all the stuff going on. They think she was too good for this Earth."
Kaylee was the first of their five children to get the illness and while it was initially thought to be a mild case, the six-year-old took a turn for the worse suffering a high fever, fatigue, and breathing problems.
Kaylee tested positive for pneumonia, which is common in severe measles cases, she was then placed on a ventilator before she died.
Days after Kaylee's funeral, the couple and their other children, ages two to seven, became sickened by measles.
The couple took their other children to Dr Ben Edwards, who runs Veritas Wellness holistic clinic in Lubbock, Texas, and is a member of the Mennonite community.
The clinic allegedly distributes untested measles remedies like cod liver oil and vitamin C. It's unclear exactly what he gave Kaylee's family.
The mother said: "He gave them treatments and medicine and they had a really good recovery."
The family is from Seminole, the epicentre of this year's measles outbreak. Of the 279 confirmed cases in Texas, 191 have been in Gaines County, where Seminole is located.
The vaccination rate in the area is 82 percent, well below the 95 percent needed to maintain herd immunity.
The MMR vaccine is considered 97 percent effective against measles.
Without vaccination, measles kills around one in 1,000 people it infects due to complications like pneumonia or brain swelling.
The CDC said in a statement last month: "Vaccination remains the best defence against measles infection."
Despite their daughter's death, Kaylee's parents said they are still opposed to the MMR vaccine.
Kaylee's mother said: "Absolutely not take the MMR [vaccine]. The measles wasn’t that bad. [The other children] got over it pretty quickly. And Dr. Edwards was there for us."
