The health secretary has long pushed misinformation about vaccines and played down an outbreak in Texas that has led to the death of a child.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the measles outbreak in west Texas is a “call to action,” as he encouraged parents to consider whether to get their children vaccinated. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said the decision to vaccinate is “personal” but defended the efficacy of…