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Measles Outbreak and Vaccine Decline

US measles resurgence and loss of elimination status, tied to falling vaccination rates and RFK Jr.'s influence on federal policy

Cassidy ties Pennsylvania measles deaths to 'misinformation and misguided policies'

Illustration accompanying article: Cassidy ties Pennsylvania measles deaths to 'misinformation and misguided policies'
  • Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Senate health committee, tied three confirmed measles deaths in Pennsylvania to "misinformation and misguided policies" at a Wednesday confirmation hearing.
  • Cassidy called the ongoing outbreak "a terrible legacy for this administration" and said the country needs health leaders "who make decisions based on science, not politics or ideology."
  • The US is facing its worst measles outbreak in over three decades, with a fourth Pennsylvania death under review.
  • Cassidy pressed surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier on whether she would clearly tell parents the MMR vaccine does not cause autism; Saphier called the vaccine "our greatest tool for combating measles."
  • Cassidy noted that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had promised him the CDC would not remove statements that vaccines do not cause autism, but the agency's website was later altered to undermine that consensus.
 2026-09-16 · 4 MIN READ

Third person dies in Manhattan Legionnaires' outbreak

Illustration accompanying article: Third person dies in Manhattan Legionnaires' outbreak
  • New York City health officials confirmed a third death Sunday in the Legionnaires' disease cluster on Manhattan's Upper East Side, bringing the total to 74 confirmed cases since the outbreak was first reported July 2.
  • The rate of new cases has fallen sharply, with an average of fewer than one new case per day from July 10 through July 17, down from more than eight per day in the first week of July.
  • Investigators believe the likely source of the cluster — a cooling tower contaminated with Legionella bacteria — has been eliminated after all 76 buildings that tested positive for the bacteria completed cleaning and disinfection.
  • Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said the identity of the latest patient would not be released out of respect for the family, and offered condolences to those mourning the loss.
 2026-07-20 · 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Pentagon restores mandatory flu shots for recruits amid boot camp outbreak

Guinea worm infections hit historic low of 10 in 2025, Carter Center says

2026-02-02

The Carter Center said only 10 reported human cases of Guinea worm infections were confined to Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan in 2025, a historic low. The center also said animal infections remained in the hundreds and varied by country. The Carter Center’s Guinea worm program director Adam Weiss linked the remaining work to efforts on diagnosis and changes in behavior around unsafe water sources.

India says it has contained Nipah virus outbreak as Asia tightens screening

2026-01-29

India’s Health Ministry said it has contained a Nipah virus outbreak after confirming two cases in the eastern state of West Bengal. The ministry said contacts had been quarantined and tested negative, while several other Asian countries increased airport and border health screening for travelers arriving from India.

International health authorities to assess U.S. measles elimination status

2026-01-21

International health authorities are set to review whether the United States has lost its measles elimination status, with a decision planned for April 13, according to the Associated Press. The review comes amid renewed measles activity across multiple states, including a large outbreak in West Texas last year.

U.S. measles elimination status at risk as cases hit highest level since 1991

2026-01-20

International health authorities announced they will meet April 13 to determine whether the United States has lost its measles elimination status, a certification granted in 2000 that appears in jeopardy following a year-long outbreak that infected 2,242 people across 44 states. The assessment comes as the U.S. records the highest measles case count since 1991, with nearly 50 separate outbreaks documented and cases confirmed in multiple states showing potential signs of continuous transmission. The reexamination hinges on a technical threshold: whether a single chain of measles has spread uninterrupted within the U.S. for at least 12 months. But public health experts agree the underlying problem extends beyond this definition — vaccination rates have fallen below the 95% level needed to stop the virus's spread, leaving communities vulnerable to a disease that public health authorities declared eliminated more than two decades ago.

South Carolina measles cases reach 558 after nearly 30% surge in days

2026-01-16

South Carolina health officials said Friday that the state's measles caseload had jumped almost 30% in four days, reaching 558 total infections in what has become the worst active measles outbreak in the United States. The state health department reported 124 new cases since Tuesday, with the wave of infections centered on Spartanburg County.