In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio. A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa. Last year, he lied about it under oath.
Since Trump took office in 2025, the U.S. has recorded more confirmed measles cases than in the previous 20 years combined.
With more than two months to go in 2026, the US has already DOUBLED its 2025 total.
It used to be that 200-plus US measles cases would reflect the total for the year or even for two years, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirmed 264 new cases in just the past seven days, raising the country’s total to 4,852 cases, by far the highest yearly total in 35 years.
The new data mark the 12th straight week of triple-digit increases nationwide. Rising cases in multiple states have contributed to the escalation, but Pennsylvania continues to be the nation’s hot spot, logging 88 new cases this week, followed closely by Wisconsin.
The United States will very likely lose its measles elimination status—which it gained in 2000—in the coming month. Even an analysis published in May, when the country had only around 1,800 cases, said as much.
Because of underreporting, the true numbers are probably much higher.
Measles is highly contagious, and quickly identifying who is infected is critical from a public health perspective: Delays lead to additional cases since patients, caregivers, and clinicians won't know to take precautions to prevent viral spread.
Yet an estimated 6.9% of patients with measles who sought medical care were misdiagnosed at least once in the two weeks before an accurate diagnosis, according to a study published this week in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
While the findings suggest these errors are not common, the University of Iowa authors argue the study shows the need to consider early measles testing among patients with respiratory symptoms.
"The risk of transmission is increased when patients spend time in busy waiting rooms or clinics, because virus aerosols remain airborne for hours," said the authors, led by biostatistician Alan T. Arakkal, PhD.
For every 1,000 unvaccinated children infected with measles, an estimated one to three will die of respiratory and neurologic complications. Other long-term concerns include permanent brain damage, a compromised immune system, and sensory impairment, such as hearing loss or blindness.
