Measles alarm in the US: highest number of cases in a quarter century

It was the year 2000 when the United States declared measles eradicated. Yet in 2025, the CDC, the US Centers for Disease Control, just announced that there have been more cases than any other year since 2000, even more than in 2019, when an outbreak occurred in the Orthodox Jewish community, who reluctantly get vaccinated, and which was resolved with very strict vaccination mandates. "This is a bad warning sign about the direction we're taking," said William Moss , an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who has been studying measles for over 25 years.

Kennedy's positions

And it's easy to recall the position of US Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy, known for his criticism of vaccines. In the case of the recent outbreak in Texas, he initially recommended letting the disease run its course, only to abruptly backtrack after the deaths of two children and an adult, recommending vaccination. But it was too late, not only for the victims but also because the virus will continue to spread—experts predict—for another full year. This is in a state with a vaccination rate of 82%, far from the 95% targeted to halt the disease.

But the blows to vaccination programs, and even to US research institutions, will not go unnoticed. Not only because cases have been reported in 38 different states, but also because measles is one of the most contagious viruses, and experts describe it as a canary in a mine: it is often the first sign of the arrival of other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough and Hib meningitis. It's no coincidence that of the 1,288 confirmed cases this year, 92% were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.

While measles symptoms resolve within a few weeks, the virus can cause pneumonia and breathing difficulties, especially in children. It can also cause brain hemorrhages, resulting in permanent damage, including blindness and intellectual disability. According to the CDC, one or two children who get sick die for every thousand. Furthermore, the virus's effects can be seen even years after infection: this is the case with a rare neurological condition that can occur up to ten years after infection.

A story that never ends

The current political situation in the United States is of great concern to experts due to its disastrous effects on public health and the health of the population. According to Michael Osterholm , an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, the decline in vaccination rates, which is also international, will lead to a new global order for the spread of measles. "The virus is constantly being reintroduced into the country through travel, allowing it to reach and affect pockets of unvaccinated Americans. If vaccination rates don't change, this story will continue."