In a concerning turn of events, the United States is witnessing a resurgence of measles, a once-vanquished disease that was thought to have been eliminated. The outbreak, which first began in Texas a year ago, has now spread to most US states, with the number of confirmed cases reaching alarming levels.
The latest data shows that the measles outbreak in South Carolina now stands at 664 cases, more than doubling in a few weeks. The highly contagious virus has also spread to North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington state, with similar outbreaks unfolding in Arizona and Utah as well.
“I think it’s just the new normal, unfortunately, that public health departments have to be responding to,” said Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, who oversaw the city’s response to the West Texas measles cluster.
Experts warn that the return of measles is a warning sign, indicating that vaccination rates are falling across the country. The vast majority of those infected are children who did not receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Last year, there were 2,242 confirmed cases of measles across 44 states, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The outbreak has been exacerbated by misinformation, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, framing measles vaccination as a personal choice and promoting unproven treatments. This has contributed to a growing anti-vaccine sentiment, which has led to an increase in exemptions from school mandates.
“Measles is the canary in the coalmine,” said Wells. “As we see lower and lower vaccination rates, we could see an outbreak of rubella or polio or some of these other vaccine-preventable diseases.”
The resurgence of preventable illnesses is straining an already overburdened healthcare system. James Alwine, an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the coordinating committee of Defend Public Health, warned that the loss of the US measles elimination status is a wake-up call.
“We’re now entering an era where we’re going to see outbreaks in these unvaccinated communities, and then I think those outbreaks will start putting pressure on other, more-vaccinated communities,” said Wells.
Public health experts are urging the public to get vaccinated and to support policies that maintain strong vaccination requirements. They caution that the return of measles is just the beginning, and that other vaccine-preventable diseases could soon follow if vaccination rates continue to decline.