US Suffering Worst Measles Outbreak in 35 Years
The outbreak has led to three deaths as experts blame rising vaccine hesitancy and say cases are likely to keep increasing.
- On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,318 measles cases nationwide, marking the worst outbreak in 35 years and surpassing 2025's total of 2,289 cases.
- Declining vaccination rates and growing distrust in health authorities fuel the surge, with critics blaming US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for spreading anti-vaccine sentiment.
- USF Health virologist Dr. Michael Teng noted an infected person can transmit measles to between 12 and 18 people, while pediatric infectious diseases physician Dr. Evan Shirey said vaccination prevents children from hospitalization with severe complications.
- Florida ranks fifth nationally with 141 cases, where officials allow religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions; Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said Friday people should make personal medical decisions without coercion.
- Public health experts warn nationwide vaccination rates have fallen below the 95% threshold required to prevent community spread, and with the outbreak uncontained, officials expect case numbers to continue rising.
14 Articles
14 Articles
This year the United States (US) records its worst outbreak of measles in three and a half decades, a rise in infections associated in part with reticence to vaccination, according to official figures published on Friday. In the last seven months, 2,318 confirmed cases of this highly contagious disease have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Read also... Peru declares a health emergency in cities suc…
U.S. measles outbreak the worst in 35 years amid declining vaccination rates
Washington (United States) (AFP) -- The United States is in the midst of its worst measles outbreak in 35 years, according to official figures released Friday, amid a serious uptick in cases as vaccine hesitancy grows.
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Ekstra BladetThis year, 2,318 cases of measles have been registered in the United States, where the disease was declared eradicated in 2000.
US measles outbreak the worst in 35 years: official data
Since 2026 began, 2,318 confirmed cases of the highly contagious illness have been recorded, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That surpasses the total for 2025, a year that had already shattered records, with 2,289 cases and three deaths including two young children. "We are witnessing an avoidable crisis that disproportionally hurts children," said Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "We s…
Florida surgeon general addresses rising measles cases as national totals surge, reaching record high
A historic resurgence of measles pushed national infection counts past 2,300 on Friday, surpassing total figures from 2025 and reaching levels not documented since 1991.
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