Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, May 10: The United States is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in decades, with over 1,000 confirmed cases and three reported deaths, according to newly released state and local health data. The resurgence of the once-eliminated disease highlights growing vaccine skepticism and declining immunization rates.
The outbreak, which has hit Texas particularly hard—accounting for more than 70% of cases—is linked in part to a vaccine-hesitant Mennonite Christian community straddling the Texas-New Mexico border. North Dakota has become the latest state to report cases, with nine infections and nearly 180 students forced into home quarantine.
"This is the most contagious human virus we know of, and it's spreading like wildfire," said Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccine specialist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He cautioned that actual case numbers may be underreported, as many avoid seeking medical care. The current death toll—two unvaccinated children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico—matches the total number of U.S. measles deaths over the past 25 years.
The outbreak marks the highest number of U.S. measles cases since 2019, when Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey saw 1,274 infections. That outbreak, however, resulted in no deaths.
Experts point to a significant drop in vaccination rates as a key factor. The CDC recommends a 95% vaccination rate to maintain herd immunity, but coverage among U.S. kindergartners has fallen from 95.2% in 2019-2020 to 92.7% in the current school year. This decline has been fueled by widespread misinformation, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has faced strong criticism for spreading false claims about the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, including the debunked assertion that it contains fetal tissue and causes harm. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence of the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, such rhetoric continues to erode public trust.
Susan McLellan, an infectious disease professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch, criticized Kennedy's promotion of unproven remedies like Vitamin A over established vaccination protocols. "It’s a profoundly inefficient way to fight a preventable disease," she said, adding that the situation reflects a broader collapse in confidence in public health institutions.
Though the U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000, outbreaks have reappeared annually, largely driven by international travel and falling vaccination rates at home. With the current crisis, experts are calling for urgent action to restore public faith in science and re-establish herd immunity.