The number of measles cases has reached its greatest level since the disease was eradicated in the United States in 2000.

The number of measles cases has reached its greatest level since the disease was eradicated in the United States in 2000. The number of measles cases in the United States has reached its greatest level since the disease was eradicated in 2000. According to NBC News’ compilation of state health department data, the United States has reported

 

 

 

 

1,277 cases since the beginning of the year. In addition, the United States recorded its first measles fatalities in a decade earlier this year: two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico. Each individual was not immunized. Measles has been regarded as eradicated in the United States for the past 25 years due to its failure to disseminate continuously over a year.

 

 

 

 

Nevertheless, there are still intermittent outbreaks, such as the one that occurred in a Mennonite community in West Texas earlier this year. Gaines County, the epicenter of the pandemic, has particularly low vaccination rates: 82% of kindergarteners in the county had received two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) as of the 2023-24 school year,

 

 

 

 

which is significantly lower than the 95% rate required to prevent the transmission of the disease.In April, Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated at a meeting of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee that the United States would have to maintain its elimination status until January 20 of the following year if measles continued to spread.

 

 

 

 

The Southwest outbreak has been the source of the majority of the cases this year, with over 700 cases in Texas alone. However, a number of smaller outbreaks have been detected throughout the United States as a consequence of international travel. The resurgence of measles can be partially explained by the decrease in vaccination rates, which has occurred on a global and national scale.

 

 

 

The percentage of kindergartners in the United States who received the recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine is less than 93% during the 2023-24 school year, a decrease from 95% during the 2019-20 school year.

 

 

 

 

The West Texas outbreak is comparable to one that occurred in 2019 in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York, which have low vaccination rates. In that year, the United States documented 1,274 cases. The spread was mitigated by a vaccination campaign that

 

 

 

 

 

involved the administration of 60,000 doses in affected communities and a vaccine mandate in New York City.A number of disease experts have also expressed apprehension that the federal messaging regarding vaccines could exacerbate the outbreak’s difficulty in being contained. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has urged individuals to receive the measles vaccine;

 

 

 

 

 

however, he has also portrayed vaccination as a personal decision, emphasized dubious treatments such as steroids or antibiotics, and made false claims that immunity from measles vaccines diminishes rapidly. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated in a statement on Wednesday that the agency “continues to provide support to the community in its efforts to address the measles outbreaks.”

 

 

 

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to offer technical support, laboratory services, and vaccines upon request. The CDC recommends MMR vaccines as the most effective method of protecting against measles, according to the statement. However, it also notes that “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.” At a press conference in April, Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician who provides care to patients in Lubbock and Gaines County,

 

 

 

 

declared that misinformation was the “greatest adversary” for healthcare providers. She stated that she was cognizant of the fact that certain patients were consuming vitamin A in lieu of receiving vaccinations. Kennedy has emphasized the importance of vitamin A in the treatment of measles patients, although the extent of its benefits remains uncertain.

 

 

 

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vitamin A may be administered under the supervision of a healthcare provider; however, it is not classified as a disease treatment. Montanez stated, “It has been a struggle to counteract the misinformation that has been disseminated regarding the use of vitamin A as a treatment for measles, an upward struggle.”

 

 

 

 

 

In contrast, the MMR vaccine provides lifelong protection and is 97% effective against measles when administered in two doses. The virus is especially hazardous to infants and young children, as their immune systems are not always sufficiently developed to combat an infection. In Texas, authorities advised that infants aged six to eleven months receive an initial dose.

 

 

 

 

 

The state recommends that unvaccinated children aged 12 months and older receive a single dose, followed by a subsequent dose 28 days later. Measles frequently initiates with a high fever, cough, congested nose, and pink or watery eyes. As a result, patients may experience a blotchy rash of flat, red spots and white patches on the inside of their cheeks near the molars.

 

 

 

 

Pneumonia or brain edema may result from severe cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), respiratory and neurological complications result in the deaths of approximately 1 to 3 children per 1,000 who contract measles. CORRECTION (July 9, 2025, 5:06 p.m. ET): The date on which the CDC reduced funding for Covid-19 was incorrect in a previous iteration of this article.

 

 

 

 

It transpired in March, not past month.A number of disease experts have also expressed apprehension that the federal messaging regarding vaccines could exacerbate the outbreak’s difficulty in being contained. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has urged individuals to receive the measles vaccine; however, he has also portrayed vaccination as a personal

 

 

 

 

decision, emphasized dubious treatments such as steroids or antibiotics, and made false claims that immunity from measles vaccines diminishes rapidly. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated in a statement on Wednesday that the agency “continues to provide support to the community in its efforts to address the measles outbreaks.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to offer technical support, laboratory services, and vaccines upon request. The CDC recommends MMR vaccines as the most effective method of protecting against measles, according to the statement. However, it also notes that “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.” At a press conference in April, Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician who

 

 

 

 

provides care to patients in Lubbock and Gaines County, declared that misinformation was the “greatest adversary” for healthcare providers. She stated that she was cognizant of the fact that certain patients were consuming vitamin A in lieu of receiving vaccinations. Kennedy has emphasized the importance of vitamin A in the treatment of measles patients, although the extent of its benefits remains uncertain.

 

 

 

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vitamin A may be administered under the supervision of a healthcare provider; however, it is not classified as a disease treatment. Montanez stated, “It has been a struggle to counteract the misinformation that has been disseminated regarding the use of vitamin

 

 

 

 

A as a treatment for measles, an upward struggle.” In contrast, the MMR vaccine provides lifelong protection and is 97% effective against measles when administered in two doses. The virus is especially hazardous to infants and young children, as their immune systems are not always sufficiently developed to combat an infection. In Texas, authorities advised that infants aged six to eleven months receive an initial dose.

 

 

 

 

 

The state recommends that unvaccinated children aged 12 months and older receive a single dose, followed by a subsequent dose 28 days later. Measles frequently initiates with a high fever, cough, congested nose, and pink or watery eyes. As a result, patients may experience a blotchy rash of flat, red spots and white patches on the inside of their cheeks near the molars. Pneumonia or brain edema may result from severe cases.

 

 

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), respiratory and neurological complications result in the deaths of approximately 1 to 3 children per 1,000 who contract measles. CORRECTION (July 9, 2025, 5:06 p.m. ET): The date on which the CDC reduced funding for Covid-19 was incorrect in a previous iteration of this article. It transpired in March, not past month.