Making America contagious again: Measles

 Nature has the story:

Will RFK Jr’s vaccine agenda make America contagious again?
Fears are rising that infectious diseases such as measle pbtycould make a comeback now that the anti-vaccine advocate is in charge of the US public-health system.  By Heidi Ledford

"Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, but sporadic outbreaks still occur when unvaccinated travellers bring the virus in from abroad. This year’s outbreak has proved deadly: in February, an unvaccinated and otherwise healthy six-year-old in Texas became the first person in a decade to die from measles in the United States. Officials are evaluating another possible measles death in New Mexico.

"At least 95% of a population must be vaccinated against measles to achieve herd immunity, whereby enough of a population is immune that a disease will not spread. In the United States, the level dropped just below that, to 93% during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has yet to recover. Measles is one of the most infectious human diseases, meaning that even a slight dip in vaccine coverage can make a big difference, says Ashley Gromis, a social epidemiologist at the RAND Corporation, a think tank in Santa Monica, California.

"The 95% vaccination goal also assumes that unvaccinated individuals are evenly distributed throughout the population, she says. In practice, that is rarely the case. In Texas, about 94% of children entering kindergarten are vaccinated against measles. But in the region where the current outbreak began, only 82% are. “These pockets in which you have lots of susceptible individuals helps disease start circulating,” says Gromis.

Such numbers mean the United States is now “dangerously close” to losing ‘elimination’ status for measles, says Margaret Doll, an epidemiologist at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York. Given that prospect, it is particularly important for public-health officials to promote vaccines, she says. “You would like that message to be supported by our leading health authorities.”

...

"For Gardner, the turmoil surrounding childhood vaccines is reminiscent of the politicization that crept into COVID-19 vaccine discussions during the pandemic. “It’s really discouraging to see that happening again,” she says."

##########

And this from MedPage Today:

RFK Jr. Falsely Claims Measles Vax Causes Deaths 'Every Year'
— Vaccine expert debunks recent statements from nation's top health official by Greg Laub,  March 14, 2025