Measles: A highly contagious disease with potentially severe symptoms that include a high fever, a blotchy rash, and a sore throat. Once declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 due to the success of mass vaccinations, the measles have returned, with over 300 cases reported in Texas alone since March 21st of this year—and they aren’t looking to slow down.
Vaccinations have been a controversial topic in recent years, and this discourse was only heightened after the COVID-19 pandemic, with skeptics believing vaccines to be a way for the government to control them and take away their bodily autonomy. The mistrust of vaccines has been seen most prominently in red states, and the CDC found that the percentage of kindergarten students up to date with the vaccination requirements has dropped since the pandemic from 95% to less than 93% in the 2023-2024 school year. This is partly due to the fact that more schools have expanded their exemptions for vaccinations, allowing families to send their children to school even without essential vaccines. This decline in vaccinations is no doubt the cause of the recent measles outbreaks in the country, as the contagious nature of the disease targets anyone unvaccinated in the proximity of an infected person. Measles particles are known for lingering in the air for hours after the infected person leaves, making cases spread even faster in communities where many are unvaccinated.
Although the measles outbreak should be treated as the serious issue that it is and should encourage families to get their children vaccinated, RFK Jr., the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, is sending mixed messages. Rather than promoting vaccines, which are the clear solution to the outbreak, he emphasizes the importance of vitamins and good nutrition in preventing the measles and commends the use of “cod liver oil” on diseased patients in Texas. Doctors around the country are extremely concerned over the messages that RFK Jr. is sending to Americans, as he is spreading false information that discourages the vaccine. Dr. Adam Ratner, a member of the infectious disease committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stressed that vitamin A, what RFK Jr. claims to be the cure to the measles outbreak, can actually be harmful, for accumulations of it can cause liver damage, fatigue, and headaches. Our Secretary of Health and Human Services should be promoting vaccinations for Americans, not making up “facts” that will only make the epidemic worse. His messages, along with the growing rates of measles cases, paints a troubling picture of public health in the future.
Anti vaxxers should not believe that the vaccine hasn’t been effective in preventing mass outbreaks—they have benefited from the herd immunity created by millions of vaccinated Americans. Now that there has been a decline in vaccinations, the herd immunity is faltering, and unprotected children and their families are suffering. This situation is especially dangerous for newborn babies and immunocompromised citizens who rely on herd immunity for their protection. Until more Americans recognize that vaccines are not a threat but a shield, preventable diseases like the measles will continue to resurface, undoing decades of public health progress in the country.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/07/nx-s1-5320352/measles-rfk-west-texas-outbreak
