Measles cases have surpassed a recent 2019 record to reach the highest level since 1992, with at least 1,289 cases reported in 39 states.
The milestone comes as health officials are increasingly alarmed by vaccine skepticism gaining a voice in the Trump Administration’s Health and Human Services Administration under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Pediatricians and public health associations filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging a May directive by Kennedy, claiming it “creates barriers” to vaccination for pregnant women and young children.
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The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that there were 1,288 cases in 38 states, surpassing the 2019 level of 1,274. South Carolina later reported its own first case of the year, an unvaccinated international traveler in the northwestern Upstate area of the state.
Wyoming reported its first measles case since 2010 on July 1, an unvaccinated child in Natrona County.
Other states recently joining the list: North Carolina reported its first case of the year June 24, in a child visiting Forsyth and Guilford counties from another country. And Oregon reported a case the same day for a person identified only as an unvaccinated international traveler sickened in June after returning to the Portland area.
The Wakefield study ignited a wave of vaccine hesitancy and skepticism in the 21st century. In 2005, before he became Secretary, Mr. Kennedy published an article falsely linking thimerosal to autism40 Like Wakefield’s article, Mr. Kennedy’s article contained numerous errors and was retracted.
Because of his name and profile, Mr. Kennedy has been instrumental in increasing the levels of vaccine hesitancy and skepticism in this country. Before he was Secretary, Mr. Kennedy made opposing vaccines a central part of his public identity. During his confirmation hearing, Congress recognized Mr. Kennedy’s outsized role in creating vaccine hesitancy and skepticism in this country as evidenced by the Committee’s following question to him: “You advocate for medical practices that blatantly contradict scientific consensus and spread lifethreatening information. Will you commit to decision-making based on credible, peer-reviewed research, and acknowledge the danger of promoting unfounded theories?” Although Mr. Kennedy answered “yes” to this question,42 his actions as Secretary belie his answer
