Don't Mess With Measles: Texas Doctor Treats Patients While Visibly Infected

A physician with active measles symptoms continues to see vulnerable patients as outbreak claims lives

Texas is currently experiencing its most severe measles outbreak in three decades. The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 561 confirmed cases as of April 2025, resulting in 58 hospitalizations and three deaths - two unvaccinated children in Texas and one unvaccinated adult in New Mexico (classified as “under investigation”). The outbreak originated in Gaines County's Mennonite community but has since spread to at least 23 Texas counties and crossed state borders.

At the center of this public health emergency is an alarming development: video evidence shows Dr. Ben Edwards, a family medicine physician in the region, treating patients while himself visibly infected with measles. This practice directly contradicts fundamental infectious disease protocols and creates significant public health risks. While most healthcare providers are working to control the outbreak through evidence-based measures and vaccination, Edwards has not only advocated for unproven and potentially harmful approaches but has reportedly continued seeing vulnerable patients, including infants, while exhibiting symptoms consistent with measles and claiming to be actively infected.

Note: We debated whether we should embed the video in this newsletter. We want to make the video accessible so that you can see with your own eyes evidence of this egregious violation of the Hippocratic Oath, but we aren’t tryna get sued today, folks! Instead, you can see Rachel Maddow’s coverage of this issue here (and can skip ahead to the 4-minute mark).

A Physician's Evolution: From Conventional Training to Alternative Approaches

Dr. Ben Edwards has a conventional medical background, having earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University and his medical degree from UT-Houston Medical School in 2002. After completing his family practice residency in Waco, he served as the sole physician in Garza County at the local health clinic in Post, Texas, for seven years.

In 2011, Edwards describes experiencing what he calls a "divine appointment" that transformed his medical philosophy. Following this shift, he established Veritas Medical in Lubbock, where he now practices what he terms "integrative medicine." His website explains that he came to believe that U.S. medical education focuses too narrowly on "symptom management with pharmaceuticals" rather than addressing what he considers to be root causes of disease. While trained in family medicine, public records indicate he is not board-certified in the specialty. (This means that he has not applied for and met nationally recognized standards of expertise and ongoing education that board certification requires.)

Alternative Treatment Approaches in a Makeshift Clinic

Dr. Edwards has established what multiple news reports describe as a makeshift clinic in an unmarked building in Seminole, Gaines County. According to NBC News reporting, this facility has become a gathering point for many local families, particularly from the Mennonite community, seeking treatment for measles. When the reporters visited the facility and spoke with Dr. Edwards, they found Edwards was treating young children, including those struggling to breathe, with inhaled budesonide—a steroid typically used for asthma. He recommended vitamin A supplements and cod liver oil (as a source of vitamins A and D), and in some cases, clarithromycin (an antibiotic). Notably, he did not offer or recommend vaccines. When asked about the risks of unvaccinated patients gathering in close quarters during an active measles outbreak, Edwards dismissed concerns, saying it didn’t matter because “they were all sick with measles.”

The treatment protocol Edwards employs is not the standard medical protocol for measles. Dr. Edwards’ approach is unproven for measles, likely useless, and potentially even harmful. Vitamin A can be toxic in high doses; steroids can suppress the immune system, which is not helpful when trying to fight a viral infection; and antibiotics that fight bacteria are not useful in fighting viruses. Sometimes, viral infections become complicated by a superimposed bacterial infection. Even if that were the case, clarithromycin would be a poor choice of antibiotic because it does not fight the specific bacteria that we usually see in these scenarios. Additionally, steroids are sometimes used in viral infections to treat complications like croup or an asthma exacerbation, but they do not address the viral infection itself.

For these reasons, the CDC, World Health Organization, and other major medical organizations have not validated these specific treatments for measles management. Scientific evidence for measles treatment primarily supports standard supportive care and prevention through vaccination, not the alternative protocol being employed at this facility.

Policy Intersections: Health Leadership and Alternative Approaches

The local medical response to the outbreak has drawn attention from federal health leadership. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Seminole on April 6, 2025, following the death of a second child from measles. During this visit, he met with affected families and local healthcare providers, including Dr. Edwards.

Public statements from Secretary Kennedy have included positive references to the treatments Edwards employs, particularly budesonide and cod liver oil. He has also supported and encouraged Dr. Edwards’ work, calling him an “extraordinary healer”. This has created a complex and confusing dynamic where potentially harmful alternative treatment approaches receive attention at the highest levels of health policy leadership, even as the CDC continues to emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective prevention measure for measles and that standard supportive care is the established treatment protocol.

A Washington Post report quotes Dr. Edwards describing natural measles infection as "God's version of measles immunization." This perspective contrasts sharply with the scientific consensus, which recognizes that while natural infection does confer immunity, it carries significantly higher risks of complications and death compared to vaccination - risks clearly demonstrated by the fatalities in this current outbreak.

Infection Control Breach: Treating Patients While Contagious

The most alarming aspect of this situation is the documented evidence that Dr. Edwards has been seeing patients while himself symptomatic with measles. A video, published by Children's Health Defense—an anti-vaccine advocacy organization founded by current HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that has been widely criticized by medical authorities for spreading vaccine misinformation—shows Edwards with the characteristic measles rash visible on his face while he continues to provide medical care.

In this recorded interview, Edwards explicitly confirms his infection, stating, "I was pretty achy... spots came in the afternoon." When asked if the rash was only on his face, he responds, "Just my face. Yeah." Despite being visibly infected, Edwards continued seeing patients, later remarking that he was "just doing what any doctor should be doing."

NBC News reporting has also referenced this concerning breach of infection control protocols. From an epidemiological perspective, this presents an extraordinary risk to public health.

Measles ranks among the most contagious pathogens known to medical science, with approximately 90% of unvaccinated individuals contracting the disease when exposed to an infected person. The virus remains viable in airborne particles for up to two hours after an infected person has left a space, creating prolonged exposure risks in clinical settings.

Standard medical protocols universally require healthcare providers with communicable diseases to refrain from patient contact during the infectious period. This is particularly critical with measles, where a single infected individual in a healthcare setting could potentially expose numerous vulnerable patients, including those too young to be vaccinated or those with immune system compromises.

Health Outcomes and Community Response

The human impact of this outbreak is significant and measurable. Three individuals have died - two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico - all of whom were unvaccinated. Beyond these fatalities, dozens have been hospitalized, and hundreds more have suffered through the illness.

After the death of a 6-year-old girl in February, Dr. Edwards attended the funeral viewing and subsequently treated her surviving siblings with his protocol of budesonide and cod liver oil. The parents later appeared in an interview with Children's Health Defense where they expressed continued support for Edwards' approach and opposition to vaccination despite their loss, stating "Dr. Edwards was there for us" and that they would "absolutely not take the MMR [vaccine]" for their other children.

An additional health concern has emerged from reports that several children treated with high-dose vitamin A during this outbreak have developed liver toxicity symptoms. This highlights the potential risks associated with non-standard treatment approaches, especially when administered without proper monitoring for side effects.

Community Impact and Division

The situation has created significant division within the medical community of West Texas. According to a local medical professional who requested anonymity due to concerns about backlash, "Many physicians locally are too frightened of his followers to speak out for fear of public attacks and potential safety for themselves and their families. Many physicians, including myself, have experienced social media and verbal attacks from his followers telling us we are 'Big Pharma scum' and 'nothing compared to Dr. Ben Edwards'."

This source notes that Edwards maintains a substantial social media presence with "a following on IG of 25k in addition to a podcast," while some aligned practitioners in his network command even larger audiences—with "one naturopath [having] 65,000 followers." This digital reach amplifies messaging that contradicts established medical consensus during an active outbreak.

The anonymous physician also points out the broader regional impact: "We now have a daycare center with an outbreak here in Lubbock and cases continue to rise daily not just in Gaines County but here in Lubbock where we have a population over 300,000 and are a large medical hub for millions of people across Texas and New Mexico. We are called 'The Hub City' in Lubbock with major infrastructure connections across the country and an international airport. The continuing spread puts people across the state and country at risk. This is not just an issue localized to a small 'podunk' county as many people nationally believe."

Professional Response: The Medical Community Reacts

According to sources, at least one formal complaint has been filed with the Texas Medical Board by a local physician. While this represents an important regulatory step, the TMB's review process typically takes 6-12 months to complete—creating a significant challenge during active public health emergencies, where questionable practices may continue while investigations proceed at their standard pace.

To emphasize the urgency, physicians in the region have initiated a petition requesting Texas Medical Board intervention. This represents a notable instance of healthcare professionals formally organizing to address concerns about a colleague's practices during a public health emergency.

The petition highlights several specific concerns from a scientific and patient safety perspective:

1. The use of treatment protocols for measles that lack validation through established medical research

2. Reports of patient care continuing while the provider showed symptoms of measles infection

3. The amplification of non-standard approaches through high-level endorsements

4. Potential risks to vulnerable populations, particularly unvaccinated children and infants

What makes this petition particularly significant is that it represents consensus among medical professionals across various specialties and practice settings, indicating broad scientific concern about the approaches being employed during this outbreak.

Conclusion: A Preventable Threat to Public Health

The ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas brings into stark relief the dangers of departing from established public health protocols, particularly during active disease outbreaks. When a healthcare provider continues seeing patients while visibly infected with a highly contagious disease, this creates a clear and present danger to community health.

Dr. Edwards' choice to continue treating patients while symptomatic with measles—documented in video footage—represents one of the most fundamental breaches of infection control possible. The fact that this practice reportedly continued while treating vulnerable populations, including infants and children, raises the most serious ethical and public health concerns.

As this outbreak continues to affect more communities and claim lives, the medical community's petition for regulatory intervention represents an important step toward addressing these practices. But the immediate public health concern remains the active spread of measles facilitated by practices that directly contradict established disease control methods.

This case illustrates the critical importance of maintaining strict infectious disease protocols, especially during active outbreaks. It also highlights the need for robust regulatory oversight to ensure healthcare providers follow established standards that protect the public from preventable diseases—particularly when those diseases are known to cause severe complications and death in vulnerable populations.

While some families in this community place their trust in Dr. Edwards, that trust does not make his actions safe or evidence-based. The fact that many people have turned to him—despite his rejection of established medical guidance—underscores the urgent need for public health to invest in trusted messengers who provide both empathy and accurate information. We can’t afford to cede that trust to providers who disregard science and put vulnerable patients at risk. Instead, we must work to ensure that the people delivering evidence-based care are also those that communities trust to protect their health.

The scientific evidence is clear: Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent measles, and healthcare providers with active infections should not be treating patients. These basic public health principles should transcend ideological divides and form the foundation of our collective response to infectious disease threats.

Stay Curious,

Unbiased Science

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