❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. has recorded the most measles cases in over 30 years, with over 1,300 cases reported nationwide. However, only three fatalities have been confirmed.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local health officials, and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
📍WHEN & WHERE: 2025, with outbreaks centered in West Texas and additional cases reported in at least 39 states.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The federal government’s position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
🎯IMPACT: The outbreak has already been declared over in Texas.
The United States is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in more than three decades, according to figures released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over 1,300 cases have been reported nationwide, spanning at least 39 states. West Texas saw over 760 confirmed infections—but health officials have now declared the outbreak over in the Lone Star state, with only two known fatalities.
Measles spreads easily and can result in serious complications, including brain inflammation and death. During the 2023–2024 school year, vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergarteners declined to 92.7 percent, down from 95.2 percent in 2019–2020.
The outbreak in Texas mainly affected children and adolescents who were either not vaccinated or only partially vaccinated. A third fatality linked to the outbreak occurred in New Mexico. These were the first reported deaths from measles in the United States since 2019.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., previously a noted skeptic of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, encouraged Americans to receive the measles shot in response to the outbreak. “The federal government’s position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,” Kennedy stated in an interview on April 8.
Still, he reaffirmed his opposition to vaccine mandates, emphasizing that he opposes government-imposed vaccine requirements.
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