July 8, 2025
Measles is staging a dangerous comeback in the United States, with 1,277 cases reported so far this year—more than any year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. Health officials are sounding alarms as the outbreak shows no signs of slowing, particularly in parts of the country with low vaccination rates.
The largest clusters have emerged in Texas and New Mexico, where local communities with low immunization coverage have been particularly hard-hit. One rural county in West Texas became the early epicenter of the outbreak, with spread continuing through surrounding regions and beyond.
Public health experts say the resurgence is driven in part by declining vaccination rates. The threshold for herd immunity—about 95% immunization coverage—has not been met in several affected areas. In some schools, opt-outs from routine childhood vaccines have surged well above safe levels, creating the conditions for measles to return.
But the outbreak is not just a consequence of local decisions. At the federal level, critics point to the role of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose long-standing skepticism of vaccines has become central to the national debate.
Since taking office earlier this year, Kennedy has reshaped vaccine policy in ways that many public health officials say have undermined trust in immunization. He disbanded the long-standing advisory panel that helped guide federal vaccine recommendations, replacing it with figures who have publicly questioned vaccine safety and efficacy.
Kennedy’s public comments have also stirred controversy. On a visit to Texas earlier this spring, he appeared to downplay the seriousness of the outbreak, suggesting that other health concerns deserved more attention and implying that natural infection could be preferable to vaccination. He has repeatedly advocated for alternatives like vitamin supplementation over immunization and questioned the need for mass vaccination efforts.
While Kennedy denies opposing vaccines outright, his rhetoric has resonated with vaccine-hesitant groups and amplified longstanding misinformation. Public health advocates say the impact is measurable. Vaccine appointments have dropped in some regions, and the spread of measles has accelerated through communities already on the edge.
Three deaths have been reported in connection with the outbreak—two children and one adult. Health officials warn that more may follow if immunization rates do not improve and federal messaging continues to sow confusion.
Over 70 leading medical organizations have taken the extraordinary step of filing a lawsuit against Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services, alleging that his leadership has jeopardized the nation’s public health infrastructure.
As summer travel and camp season gets underway, experts worry that the virus could continue to spread nationwide. Many local clinics and school districts are ramping up efforts to vaccinate children and educate families, but they say they’re working against a tide of disinformation—some of it coming from the very top of the federal government.
