"Almost an Insult"

 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.

Jay Stahl at USA Today:

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, who has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump's administration over health issues, slammed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over a website related to autism and vaccines.

The gastroenterologist during a July 26 interview on CNN's "State of the Union" called out the health authority for saying online that it's "not an evidence-based claim" that vaccines don't cause autism.

...

On "State of the Union," Cassidy told [Dana] Bash that it has been scientifically proven that vaccines don't cause autism over decades. "The fact that that is still there is almost an insult to the American people," Cassidy said. "We don't care enough about you to tell the truth. We want to continue to promote that which has been proven false, but we don't want to admit it, whoever we is."

Many public health groups and physicians across the country have also denounced language on the CDC website about vaccines and autism spectrum disorder, despite decades of evidence showing approved immunizations are safe.

BASH: The CDC's website on vaccines has been a sticking point for you. When you pledged to support Dr. Schwartz, you said publicly it's a sign of good faith that the CDC agreed to modify their website. But at the very top of the CDC's vaccine page, it still says 'the claim… pic.twitter.com/xGbxGgKhz6

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 26, 2026

Measles, Continued

 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.

Since President Trump took office in 2025, the U.S. has recorded more confirmed measles cases than in the previous 20 years combined. 

Margaret Manto at NOTUS:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s webpage about vaccines and autism was revised this week as an olive branch to Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who now says he supports President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency.

The page, however, still references a recently retracted study linking vaccines and autism.

The CDC changed its webpage on vaccines and autism with a new statement making clear that scientists “have not identified the root causes” of autism — a change Cassidy, who has been critical of Robert F. Kennedy’s Jr. anti-vaccine sentiments, called an act of “good faith,” The New York Times first reported.

Until that change, Cassidy was a significant holdout on the committee’s vote on Erica Schwartz, the nominee for CDC director.

But the recent changes to the site did not include removing a reference to a 2010 study on the hepatitis B vaccine and autism rates in boys, despite its publication retracting the study in May. That study found that boys vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine had a significantly higher chance of being diagnosed with autism. An independent statistical reviewer found its conclusions were unsound.

And the CDC site still makes these misleading claims:

• The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.
• Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.

 

BASH: The CDC's website on vaccines has been a sticking point for you. When you pledged to support Dr. Schwartz, you said publicly it's a sign of good faith that the CDC agreed to modify their website. But at the very top of the CDC's vaccine page, it still says 'the claim… pic.twitter.com/xGbxGgKhz6

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 26, 2026

2,170 Measles Cases

 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.

From CDC:

As of July 2, 2026, 2,170 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 2,158 measles cases were reported by 41 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. A total of 12 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 31 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 93% of confirmed cases (2,019 of 2,170) are outbreak-associated (659 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,360 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

For the full year of 2025, a total of 2,289 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States.

Alllie Yang at NY Post:

Measles only needs a small opening — and it got one.

For the second year in a row, cases of measles — known as the world’s most infectious disease — will hit record highs, and 2026 is on track to be substantially worse than 2025.

In a matter of weeks, we’re likely to blow past last year’s total, hitting the highest number of cases in 35 years.

“This is a major public health warning sign,” epidemiologist Dr. Syra Madad told The Post. “The US is already close to last year’s total with about half the year still ahead.”

...

“Unless we interrupt transmission quickly, 2026 is likely to surpass 2025 and could do so substantially,” Madad warned.

“We should be cautious about making exact projections because outbreaks can slow when vaccination campaigns, isolation, contact tracing and community engagement are effective. But the current pattern is deeply concerning.

Measles, Vaccines, and RFK Jr.

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.

From CDC:

As of June 25, 2026, 2,134 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 2,122 measles cases were reported by 41 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. A total of 12 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 30 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 93% of confirmed cases (1,982 of 2,134) are outbreak-associated (629 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,353 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

 For the full year of 2025, a total of 2,288 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States. 

Sheryl Gay Stolberg at NYT: 

[E]xchanges over the flu vaccine campaign are in a cache of internal C.D.C. emails obtained last week by The New York Times, and published online this week. The messages provide a detailed look at a period of transition in which the leaders of the nation’s public health agency frequently found themselves buffeted and dismayed by the agenda imposed by Mr. Kennedy and the new Trump administration.

...

The emails begin in January, before Mr. Kennedy was confirmed, and end in mid-August, about a week before the White House fired Dr. Monarez as C.D.C. director at the secretary’s request, just 29 days after her Senate confirmation. While Mr. Kennedy’s fraught relationship with the health agency is well known, the messages, coupled with interviews, shed light on how C.D.C. employees scrambled to meet his demands — often on matters regarding vaccines and autism — as the administration gutted the agency’s ranks.

...

C.D.C. political leaders went to great lengths to install Mr. Kennedy’s allies in key positions, even if they did not have crucial professional qualifications for the job, the documents show. The agency tried to use Title 42, a federal code that permits scientific experts to be hired without going through the regular civil service process, to put a businessman who was a longtime activist on behalf of parents of children with autism in charge of its National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

The activist, Mark Blaxill, a Harvard Business School graduate and founder of the group SafeMinds, has written books and medical journal articles on autism; one was retracted in 2023. C.D.C. human resources officials concluded that he lacked the scientific qualifications to be considered a “distinguished consultant” under the law. He now works at the agency in another capacity, and does not run the birth defects center.

The emails confirm, as The Times has previously reported, that Mr. Kennedy was deeply involved in efforts to gain control over the Vaccine Safety Datalink, or VSD, a database of millions of confidential medical records that, he believes, has the potential to prove a link between vaccines and autism, a theory that has been debunked in numerous studies. His own top aides were under pressure, too.

 ... 

While the secretary steered clear of most career scientists, at least in his early days in office, he was giving direct instructions to one of them, William Thompson, who has challenged a 2004 C.D.C. study that concluded the measles vaccine was not linked to autism, and works under government whistle-blower protections.

 Dr. Thompson was working to compile data sources for future autism studies; he called it a “high priority for Secretary Kennedy.” A note from the secretary appears just once in the email collection. He weighed in with a one-sentence message during a conversation with Dr. Thompson about a two-decade old data set used by a former C.D.C. researcher, Thomas Verstraeten.

“Bill. I’m assuming this is the verstratten original data,” Mr. Kennedy wrote.

SEE THE HELP COMMITTEE SUMMARY OF THE EMAILS.

Measles and the World Cup

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.

From CDC:

As of June 11, 2026, 2,073 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 2,063 measles cases were reported by 40 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. A total of 10 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 30 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 93% of confirmed cases (1,929 of 2,073) are outbreak-associated (593 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,336 from outbreaks that started in 2025

Meghan Holohan at CIDRAP:

“Disease surveillance is disease surveillance every day of the week,” Garrow, Philadelphia deputy health commissioner, told CIDRAP News. “What is changing in terms of the World Cup is how intense that disease surveillance is going to look.”

While Garrow worries about heat-related illnesses and air quality, there’s one infectious disease he’s most concerned about. “Measles is probably our top worry,” he said. “We’ve already put out communications to our regional healthcare providers about what to look for.”

With recent outbreaks in the United States, lower vaccination rates, and people traveling, it seems more likely than ever that a fan with measles could be in the stands at the World Cup. This year, stadiums and Fan Festivals packed with cheering people could make it easy for measles to thrive.

“Measles tends to hang around in the air. It’s very small particles and it just floats there for up to two hours after someone with measles has been in the space,” Garrow said. “How many people could potentially have gone through that particular site in two hours after the person left?”

RFK Jr. is Checked Out

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

Sheryl Gay Stolberg at NYT:

The secretary’s detachment from much of the work of the agency, along with the administration’s deep staff cuts and his attacks on career staff, have driven down morale, they say. It’s a dynamic that could threaten the department’s ability to protect Americans in a crisis, according to public health experts and former secretaries.

Critics say one of the most urgent problems is Mr. Kennedy’s failure to act more swiftly to address a leadership vacuum. There is no surgeon general. Around half of the 27 institutes and centers at N.I.H. are run by acting directors. The acting chief of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases was recently fired, as was the nation’s top drug regulator.

The leader of the Food and Drug Administration quit last month under pressure over tobacco policy. Mr. Kennedy fired the C.D.C. director last August; it is now run on an acting basis by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who already has another huge job as director of the National Institutes of Health.

...

Every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., the chiefs of the department’s 13 operating divisions gather in the secretary’s suite to update leadership on their activities. At the outset of his tenure, Mr. Kennedy was rarely there, either virtually or in person, according to three people familiar with his schedule. Since Mr. Klomp’s elevation, he now shows up once a month. But when he does attend, he often appears disengaged and spends the time scrolling on his phone, according to people in attendance. Several described him as “checked out.”

...

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, responsible for pandemic preparedness and for standing up field hospitals and quarantine facilities in Kenya, is currently run on an acting basis by John Knox, a former Los Angeles firefighter who founded the group Firefighters4Freedom during the pandemic to fight vaccine mandates.

1,983 Measles Cases

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.

From CDC:

As of May 28, 2026, 1,983 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,974 measles cases were reported by 40 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. A total of 9 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 30 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 93% of confirmed cases (1,847 of 1,983) are outbreak-associated (517 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,330 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

 Jessica McDonald at Factcheck.org:

When asked by a senator on April 22 what he was doing to reduce the number of measles cases and improve the MMR vaccination rate, Kennedy responded, “Improve the MMR. We promote the MMR. We have advised every child to get the MMR. That’s what we do.”

In the same hearing, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado similarly asked, “Are you taking the position, as your CDC director has taken, that the measles vaccine is vital to keeping American children healthy in this country? Are you taking that position today? That has not been your position.”

“That’s my position. I — we promote the measles vaccine,” Kennedy said. “The measles vaccine prevents measles in 97% of the people who take it. I’ve always said that. That’s what the science says.”

Kennedy had often noted the MMR vaccine’s effectiveness. But prior to last month, we could not find a single instance in which Kennedy offered vigorous, unqualified support for the vaccine, without including or later adding inaccurate or misleading information that might cause someone to rethink vaccination.

1,842 Measles Cases in 2026

  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.

From CDC:

As of May 7, 2026, 1,842 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,830 measles cases were reported by 39 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. A total of 12 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 25 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 93% of confirmed cases (1,712 of 1,842) are outbreak-associated (428 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,284 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

1,792 Measles cases

 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.

From CDC:

As of April 23, 2026, 1,792 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,782 measles cases were reported by 37 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 10 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 22 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 93% of confirmed cases (1,668 of 1,792) are outbreak-associated (401 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,267 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

1,671 Measles Cases This Year

 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.

In early April, the US has already had more measles cases than in all of 2024.

From CDC:

As of April 2, 2026, 1,671 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,661 measles cases were reported by 33 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 10 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 17 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 94% of confirmed cases (1,570 of 1,671) are outbreak-associated (374 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,196 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

1,575 Measles Cases

 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.

In March, the US has already had more measles cases than in all of 2024.

CDC:

As of March 26, 2026, 1,575 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,566 measles cases were reported by 32 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 9 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 16 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 94% of confirmed cases (1,483 of 1,575) are outbreak-associated (359 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,124 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

1,362 Measles Cases

 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.

Jim Wappes at CIDRAP

The US measles total grew by 81 cases this week, to 1,362 confirmed infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update.

In addition, yesterday local and federal officials detailed New Mexico’s response to its 99-case measles outbreak last year, including a 55% increase in uptake of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to a paper in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

The CDC confirmed 2,284 measles cases for all of last year, which was a 35-year high. The country could well exceed that total before summer. The United States will likely lose its measles elimination status—which it gained in 2000—in November, when officials assess all the new data.

The CDC said all but nine of the 2026 cases are from 30 states and New York City, with the rest travel-related. With two new outbreaks confirmed this week, the nation now has 14 outbreaks this year. Of all confirmed cases, 94% are associated with an outbreak.

Low Confidence in RFK Jr.

 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.

Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania survey, conducted Feb. 3-17, 2026, among a nationally representative sample of 1,650 U.S. adults. Highlights;

• :Career scientists vs. health agency leaders: Two-thirds of Americans (67%) have confidence in career scientists working at U.S. federal health agencies, compared with just 43% confidence in agency leaders overall.
• RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz: About 4 in 10 U.S. adults are confident Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (38%) and Dr. Mehmet Oz (42%), administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, are providing trustworthy information on public health – lower than the confidence people say they had in Dr. Anthony Fauci (54%), former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, when he was in office.
• Confidence in experts outside government: People have greater trust in major health and science associations outside government – such as the American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and National Academy of Sciences – than in U.S. health agencies.
• AAP vs. CDC: On vaccinating newborns for hepatitis B, Americans say they are more likely to accept the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics than the CDC by nearly a 4-1 margin.
• Trust in CDC, FDA, NIH sinking: Year over year in February surveys, public trust in the CDC, FDA, and NIH dropped significantly from 2024 (74%-76%), the final year of the Biden administration, to 2025 (67%), the first year of this Trump administration – and fell again, now, in 2026 (60-62%).