US measles cases hit a 35-year high as vaccination rates fall.
Though still far short of 1990s levels, before widespread vaccination drove a sharp drop in measles cases, the 2,295 recorded this year are more than all of 2025. And 93% of this year’s patients are unvaccinated.
Measles is usually the first disease to rise when vaccine levels dip, because it is extremely contagious. US vaccine uptake has declined for years, and most counties are below herd immunity levels.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longstanding vaccine skeptic; White House advisors had previously asked him to tone it down ahead of the midterms, but US President Donald Trump has now changed position, The Wall Street Journal reported.
