From PBS NewsHour.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of repeatedly undermining public confidence in the measles vaccine despite telling Congress that he supported the shot Wednesday.

"Senator, if I advised you to swim in a lake that I knew there to be alligators in, wouldn’t you want me to tell you there were alligators in it?" Kennedy responded.

Kennedy added, "I am not going to just tell people everything is safe and effective if I know there’s issues," when Murphy asked him if he recommended the use of measles vaccines.

“I think you’re answering the question, and that’s really dangerous for the American public and for families,” Murphy said.

Kennedy then said he had recommended the measles vaccine during his House testimony: “Go look at the transcript.”

During a House committee hearing earlier on Wednesday, Kennedy was asked if he had a child today, would he vaccinate that child against the measles. “Um… probably,” Kennedy said. Then, he said, “I don’t think people should be taking advice — medical advice — from me.”

In the United States, three people have died from the measles this year, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases. Many public health experts suggest U.S. measles cases are under-counted.

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