The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallyed the highest number of measles cases in the United States since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the disease to be eliminated a quarter century ago.
CDC data shows that measles cases have been found in the US this year as the disease was declared eliminated in a quarter century. There are at least 1,288 confirmed cases.
Midway through the year, the Case Tally has already surpassed previous records since 2019, when there were a total of 1,274 cases. And since the disease was declared excluded in the United States in 2000, it has well surpassed the average of around 180 measles cases reported each year.
CNN reported this new milestone on Saturday. Using data from Johns Hopkins University Outbreak-Responsive Innovation, More often than CDC.
Childhood vaccine coverage has been declining in the US, with the majority of measles cases this year (over 90%) in people who have not been vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the CDC.
When measles cases reached previous records in 2019 – During the first Trump administration, both the CDC director and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary issued a statement highlighting the safety and efficacy of the measles-Munz-Luvera (MMR) vaccine and encouraging Americans to be vaccinated.
But almost six months after Trump’s second term, with the CDC still missing a director, HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long and complicated history with the measles vaccine.
In a statement Wednesday, the agency said the company “continues to support the community’s efforts in dealing with the measles outbreak,” and “The CDC continues to provide technical assistance, laboratory support and vaccines as requested.” The statement did not specifically address the new measles milestone, instead focusing on population-level case rates and the echoes of the language Kennedy used for the vaccine.
“The CDC continues to recommend the MMR vaccine as the best way to protect against measles. The vaccine decision is personal,” the statement said. “People need to consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options for getting vaccinated and notify them of the potential risks and benefits associated with the vaccine.”
Concerns about vaccine skepticism were front and center on Wednesday as members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee vote to lead the entire Senate vote to advance President Donald Trump’s candidate.
Committee members voted 12-11 to move Monares’ nomination. All Republicans on the committee supported longtime immunologists and government scientists. He spoke at a confirmation hearing on restoring confidence in the CDC, defending Kennedy’s decision to replace members of federal vaccine advisors.
The vote brings Monares a step closer to taking the helm in public health agencies, and she is now on the Senate vote.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and doctor, voted to advance Monales’ nomination, but nodded at vaccine coverage and an ongoing outbreak of measles.
“Dr. Monales will work to protect sensitive health information in America while modernizing the data health system and improving public health coordination and response,” Cassidy said. “This is especially important as the country fights the re-emergence of public health threats like measles that have killed three lives in the United States this year.”
He continued: “What’s not included but tragic: A pregnant Canadian woman was exposed to measles and lost her child.
Cassidy pressed Kennedy publicly last month to delay a meeting of the health agency’s new vaccine advisors. Some of them have expressed skepticism and safety concerns about long-term approved vaccinations amid concerns about their bias.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, asked the committee to hold a hearing on the ongoing measles outbreak and reforms to Kennedy’s vaccine surveillance.
“I am worried because I feel that this committee has largely abandoned any serious surveillance of this crisis,” she said. “There were no hearings about a record number of measles outbreaks or how the CDC vaccine panels stack up with people who have not actually been reviewed.
Murray said Congressional oversight of these actions is necessary.
“I really hope that Dr. Monares goes against my expectations. I hope that she will stand up to science and put public health first. But again, I want that for others.
Some health experts have highlighted the importance of vaccination rates and their fears about the precedent set under Kennedy’s HHS leadership.
“It’s not surprising that under Secretary Kennedy’s watch, the widest generational outbreak of measles has occurred,” Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC, said in a statement Wednesday..
“His decades-long campaign to continue to trust vaccines without waning in his time as Health Secretary has directly contributed to the surprising decline in our country’s everyday childhood immunization rates, resulting in a more frequent outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases,” he said. “And more, dramatic funding cuts in public health means small outbreaks will grow and spread.”
Three people died of measles this year in the United States. Two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico, all of whom were not vaccinated.
“I’m worried that Chief Kennedy’s misconduct will force more children to pay with their lives and health,” Besser said. “As a pediatrician, I highly recommend that all parents talk to their healthcare providers, listen to local public health officials and learn about the facts about the incredibly effective and safe measles vaccine.”
The MMR vaccine is extremely effective. According to the CDC, one dose provides 93% protection against measles, while two doses are 97% effective.
“Vaccinations work – stop. They are one of the most powerful tools needed to protect patients, families and the entire community. They can prevent illness through vaccines, but they are beginning to reappear as there are so many diseases we once controlled that we choose to slow or skip immunity.
“There is a lot of confusion about vaccinations, but patients don’t have to navigate this alone. Family physicians, pediatricians, pharmacists and other public health workers can help patients stay through all the information and get through the noise,” she said. “The bottom line is that vaccines are safe, effective and life-saving. It’s important to continue to protect our health across the nation, not just individual families.”
