Measles Bounces Back, Exposing Cracks in US Public Health

Measles has re-emerged in the US after decades of rarity, driven by vaccination gaps that push local pockets below the 95% herd-immunity threshold. Outbreaks have spread from Texas in 2025 to Utah/Arizona and South Carolina in 2026, with about 1,300 cases by March 2026 (2,283 in 2025 and 3 deaths). The resurgence risks hospitalizations, pneumonia, SSPE, and substantial economic costs, and it highlights eroding public trust in vaccines and health institutions, as well as the possibility that the U.S. and neighboring countries could lose elimination status.