We Eliminated Measles and It Returned, Why?

Dr. Stanley Plotkin, 93, known as the “godfather of vaccines” is the only surviving member of early vaccine developers. He has lived through all phases of vaccination, seeing what many have forgotten: tens of thousands of children dying from preventable diseases. Today, he has described vaccine skepticism as a shift in focus from the risk of getting an illness to the rare side effects of its vaccine. 

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases we continue to face and there is no cure, only a vaccine. The vaccine and its booster are 97% effective in preventing the illness, not just for individuals but also the communities they belong to. In 2000, the disease was eliminated in the United States, meaning that there hadn’t been an outbreak in the country for over 12 months. However, in 2025 the U.S. had 2,288 confirmed cases and in the first six months of 2026 the CDC confirmed 2,030 cases. Generating interest from the Pan American Health Organization to meet with the U.S. this coming November to discuss the country potentially losing their measles elimination status.

Measles outbreaks have become more common as 61% of parents say they have read or heard false claims of the vaccine causing Autism. Studies by Andrew Wakefield, incorrectly stated that the MMR vaccine caused Autism, and while he lost his medical license for it, decades later the studies continue to be used. Creating vaccine skepticism that has led parents to delay or skip the recommended vaccines for their children. Mistrust also influenced by current U.S. policies, as the childhood immunization schedule has begun shifting its recommendations. A change guided by the U.S. Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who has spent decades attempting to make vaccines seem more dangerous than the illness they protect from. In July 2025, he was sued by 6 public health organizations as his vaccine limitations were “unscientific and harmful to the public”. If successful in decreasing the vaccine rate, outbreaks of preventable diseases will put the health of everyone, vaccinated or not, at risk.

These outbreaks are costly, as 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people contract the disease after coming in contact with someone who is infected. If someone tests positive for measles, public health workers have less than 3 days to identify anyone who could have been exposed. In March, California had 7 counties experiencing measles outbreaks with 21 confirmed cases. Of those cases, the first 3 in Los Angeles county cost over $230,000 to be able to cover the scope of public health nurses, epidemiologists, physicians, and laboratories needed to find hundreds of contacts. Essential work to prevent the spread of highly contagious illnesses that is too being affected by the U.S. government. Last year, the Trump administration cut $1 billion in funding from public health work in California and is attempting to slash another $600 million from the state. Triggering public health department clinics to close, leaving less staff with less resources to complete disease surveillance work. 

Measles outbreaks are occurring everywhere in the United States: from Disneyland to immigration detention centers in Texas. In the last year, we have seen headlines of Ebola, measles, hantavirus, and COVID-19. Swayed by President Trump’s USAID cuts that have reduced infectious disease prevention abroad and anti-immigration policies that have overfilled private detention centers, outbreaks will spread quickly if not controlled. We must work together to understand the importance of public health and vaccine prevention to help keep our communities safe.

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