Two March 12 articles in Newsday were related. One was about measles on Long Island [“Measles case in Suffolk, officials say,” News], and the other was about Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s plan to have additives removed from food [“RFK Jr. to food firms: Remove artificial dyes,” LI  Business].

I’m happy Newsday keeps us informed about measles on Long Island, because I hear barely a peep out of the government. Yes, it would be beneficial to remove dyes and all potential hazardous additives from our foods. However, an outbreak of measles must be prioritized.

One would think the head of HHS would, each day, be calling on everyone to get the measles vaccine before another child dies. No need to study the vaccine’s efficacy. The proof is in decades of people getting the vaccine and measles being all but eradicated.

Has Kennedy rescheduled the postponed meeting to discuss this year’s flu vaccine? Many seniors are concerned about that one.

Senate confirmation of Kennedy was not only ill-advised, but it was also dangerous. Vaccine skepticism is killing Americans.

 — Roberta Comerchero, Commack

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. needs to address the danger of getting measles in unvaccinated adults and kids, especially infants under 12 months old, who are at extreme risk. Measles spreads like wildfire and can linger in the air for up to two hours. Measles can develop into encephalitis and pneumonia.

There are no home remedies or cures for measles. The only cure is prevention with a vaccination. This information bears repeating. Measles can make a child extremely sick or lead to death.

Kennedy must focus on priority issues instead of discussing cooking. He should provide effective messages to get kids vaccinated. Continually dragging his feet on this means some kids may not be alive to ever enjoy any foods he discusses.

 — Patricia Bishop-Kelly, Huntington

The writer retired as the director of public information and education with the Office of Health Education for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

I was born in 1953 to parents who couldn’t vaccinate me because vaccines weren’t available. I had every “childhood” disease.

At age 8, measles made me so ill. My mother, who had seen the devastating effects of polio on friends, cried tears of joy when she took my brother and me to get that vaccine.

In the early 1970s, as an Adelphi nursing student, I spent a day caring for children with profound brain and physical dysfunction due to devastating complications from measles in infancy or rubella in utero. The boy I cared for was blind, deaf, and severely mentally impaired because of measles. He was restrained 24/7 to prevent self-mutilation. Those memories have stayed with me ever since.

Now, vaccine skepticism has led to an outbreak in Texas that has taken the life of a child. That area and neighboring areas have had about 260 confirmed cases of measles, with dozens of hospitalizations. More cases have been reported across the United States.

Vaccines, safe for most, go through rigorous testing and are released when the risk of the disease is higher than the risk of side effects.

Two websites, “Back to the Vax,” created by two former anti-vaxxers, and “Jitsuvax,” provide accurate information about vaccinations.

 — Barbara Wasilausky, Southold

With cuts at NOAA, fasten your seat belts

The slashing of 1,000 jobs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will possibly lead to needless suffering and death of Long Islanders because the NOAA does more than daily weather forecasts [“Trump demeans the professionals,” Opinion, March 13].

NOAA is also a global leader in weather and climate monitoring and prediction. This function is more crucial than ever.

NOAA’s research and data are critical to our understanding of weather patterns and climate trends. Without this information, we would be less prepared for extreme weather events — think the next Superstorm Sandy on steroids — putting Americans’ safety, economic stability, and lives at risk. Plus, limiting NOAA’s work would have catastrophic consequences for the fight against climate change.

The Union of Concerned Scientists said that without a strong NOAA, “the world will be flying blind into the growing perils of global climate change.” The Constitution puts the power of the purse with Congress. Our congressional delegation must ensure that NOAA and its sub-agencies remain fully funded and staffed, and that the independent, trusted science that the agency produces continues to be protected. Otherwise, the government could haveblood on its hands.

 — William Keller, Freeport