Measles Outbreak in U.S. Exceeds 250 Cases, Prompting Urgent Health Warnings

AUSTIN, Texas — The ongoing measles outbreak has surged to 258 confirmed cases in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, prompting state health departments to urge vaccination for greater public health protection.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated in a Fox News interview on Tuesday that individuals should have the agency to make personal choices regarding vaccination. “What we need to do is give them the best information and encourage them to vaccinate. The vaccine does stop the spread of the disease,” he said.

However, Kennedy’s remarks concerning the safety of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine have raised alarms. He inaccurately claimed that measles outbreaks might also stem from individuals with waning immunity from vaccines. “The vaccine wanes 4.5% per year,” he stated.

Contradicting Kennedy, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, asserted that if vaccine-induced immunity significantly waned, measles would not have been declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Dr. Michael Mina, chief scientific officer at eMed, emphasized that unvaccinated individuals are primarily responsible for the outbreak. “The current outbreak is absolutely being driven and started by unvaccinated individuals,” he said.

While antibody levels from vaccination can decrease over time, Offit explained that measles’ longer incubation period provides the immune system ample opportunity to combat the virus, thus conferring long-lasting immunity.

Since the elimination of measles in 2000, the U.S. has witnessed an annual average of about 179 cases, often linked to international travel. In the slim cases of outbreaks, most years see at least 60% of cases attributed to such incidents. This outbreak marks only the fifth year since 2000 with over 100 confirmed cases and the third year surpassing 200.

Experts have criticized Kennedy for promoting natural immunity through measles infection over vaccine-induced immunity. The MMR vaccine boasts a 97% effectiveness rate against measles, while natural infection carries severe health risks, including hospitalization for unvaccinated individuals. “The goal of a vaccine is to induce the immunity that is a consequence of natural infection without paying the price of natural infection,” stated Offit.

Serious complications from measles infection are notable: one in 20 children develop pneumonia, and one in 1,000 can experience encephalitis, leading to potential death from complications in one to three out of every 1,000 cases.

Kennedy has also made questionable statements regarding the transference of vaccine-induced immunity through breast milk. Dr. Lynn Yee of Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine clarified, “Maternal antibody transfer is a key form of neonatal protection,” explaining that antibodies from vaccinated mothers can provide immunity to infants.

Additionally, Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, vehemently disagreed with Kennedy’s commentary on the supposed risks of the MMR vaccine. “The measles vaccine is incredibly safe,” he noted, calling Kennedy’s assertions “disinformation.”

Reports of serious adverse events from the MMR vaccine remain extremely rare. Dr. Vivek Cherian, an internal medicine physician, highlighted that common side effects such as low-grade fever indicate that the vaccine is effectively prompting immune responses. The CDC stated that mild effects are far less concerning than the devastating consequences that measles can inflict.

As health officials work to address the outbreak, calls to increase vaccination rates are stronger than ever. The CDC stresses the importance of the MMR vaccine to prevent further proliferation of measles, with the agency noting that all U.S. residents born after 1957 should either be vaccinated or demonstrate immunity through medical confirmation.