Measles Is Back

The U.S. was declared measles-free in 2000, due to a long and intensive campaign of vaccinating children. However, Jan. 20, 2026, will mark 12 uninterrupted months of measles transmission, at which time the U.S. will lose its status as a measles-free country. While many people think measles is no worse than a cold, that is not true. Of every 1,000 people who contract measles, 200 end up in a hospital with complications like pneumonia or brain swelling and 3 die from it.

Due to the drop-off in vaccination rates precipitated by Secretary of "Health" and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr., measles has made a comeback, and cases are on the upswing. There have been 47 outbreaks this year. South Carolina recently quarantined 354 people. In Texas, more than 700 cases have been confirmed. Nationally, the case count is over 1,900, and growing rapidly, and this for a disease that was declared gone in 2000. At least one child has died of measles this year. Fiona Havers, an adjunct associate professor of medicine at Emory University and expert on infectious diseases, said: "This is a very clear example of the damage that the anti-vaccine movement has done in the United States."

In South Carolina, where many children remain unvaccinated, it is beginning to feel like the pandemic is back. In Spartanburg County, for example, only 90% of the students are vaccinated, below the 95% public health officials deem the minimum to stop the spread of measles, which is highly contagious. Some children are being pulled out of school. Some adults are calling in "sick" to stay home from work to take care of them. Parents of children too young to be vaccinated or who are medically unable to be vaccinated are panicking. People are reconsidering getting together for the holidays. And all of this is unnecessary. When COVID-19 first appeared, there was no vaccine for it. In contrast, a safe, effective, and cheap measles vaccine has been available for over 60 years. If you think this is bad, just wait until polio makes a comeback. (V)