Measles Cases Surge To Highest Level Since The Disease Was Eliminated In U.S.

According to a new count, there have been more measles cases reported in the U.S. this year than in any other year since the disease was declared eliminated in the country a quarter-century ago.

Surpassing the previous record set in 2019, at least 1,277 cases have been reported as of Monday, despite this year being only halfway over, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s U.S. Measles Tracker.

Researchers attribute the case surge to “long-standing gaps in measles vaccine coverage,” with about 92% of this year’s cases occurring among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

The vast majority of measles cases this year have been in Texas, where two school-aged children have died. Both children were not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions, the state’s health department said.

Vaccine rates have been declining in recent years, posing a heightened risk of localized outbreaks due to falling coverage among U.S. kindergarteners.

Health officials note that approximately 88% of all confirmed cases this year have been associated with known outbreaks, indicating a concerning trend.

Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning there was no continuous transmission of the disease for more than a year.

The U.S. achieved measles elimination in 2000, a significant milestone attributed to a highly effective vaccination program and improved measles control in the Americas region.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., without a formal medical background, has expressed inconsistent and tepid support for the MMR vaccine, promoting untested treatments for the disease.