Measles is making an unwelcome comeback in the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking to dodge any responsibility for it.
In a recent editorial for the Wall Street Journal, Ralph Abraham, the principal deputy director of the CDC, took aim at people criticizing the government’s response to measles since last year. Abraham argued that measles’ return isn’t America’s fault because other countries have had similar outbreaks lately, too. Left unsaid by Abraham, of course, is that this country’s public health is now actively being led by a man who has openly crusaded against the measles vaccine and other shots for decades, namely Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Framing measles as an American policy failure is inaccurate and misleading,” Abraham wrote.
Running defense
Abraham is right to note that measles isn’t a uniquely American problem. There are many pockets of the world where the viral disease remains endemic. And countries like Canada, the UK, and others have indeed experienced recent resurgences of measles. But these facts don’t absolve the U.S. of its own failure.
Since January 2025, measles has been spreading far and wide. Last year alone saw just over 2,220 cases, the highest annual total in more than three decades. There have been cases in 45 states and other jurisdictions, with most scattered across 49 separate outbreaks. The largest outbreak last year occurred in early January along parts of Western Texas. However, it’s now been supplanted by the ongoing outbreak in South Carolina, with 847 cases and counting. Three people in the U.S. have died from measles since 2025, while hundreds have been hospitalized. And the U.S. is now on the brink of losing its official measles-free status.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases on Earth but can be thwarted with vaccines. And it’s largely lagging vaccination rates that have allowed measles to regain a foothold in the U.S. and elsewhere—not that the federal government under RFK Jr. is eager to admit that.
In his editorial, Abraham even tries to cast doubt on the effectiveness of measles vaccination. As evidence, he cites a recent report from Colorado and CDC health officials on a measles outbreak last year associated with an airplane passenger. Of the nine known cases linked to the original infected person, four were fully vaccinated, he points out.
The measles vaccine isn’t foolproof, so there can be occasional breakthrough cases (with a full series, it has roughly 97% effectiveness). But even in this one select outbreak, the majority of cases were unvaccinated. And vaccination did still help those who became infected. The vaccinated cases reported fewer and milder symptoms, while three of the unvaccinated cases and one of the people with unknown vaccination status ended up in the hospital.
“This outbreak highlights the importance of staying up to date with recommended vaccinations, especially before traveling,” the report authors concluded.
The CDC’s own data also illustrates the value of vaccination. Around 93% of all measles cases documented since last year have occurred among people who were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccine status, while only 4% happened in vaccinated individuals.
The RFK-shaped elephant in the room
Abraham claims that under RFK Jr.’s leadership, the U.S. is now setting a global standard for public health. Somehow, that proclamation doesn’t ring true given Kennedy’s track record to date.
Since last year, RFK Jr. and his allies have restricted people’s access to certain vaccines. He’s also reduced the workforce of the CDC and other health agencies, as well as personally fired senior officials who refused to back his anti-vaccine policies. And during the Texas measles outbreak, he recommended unsupported treatments like cod liver oil that likely further endangered some children.
Last month, he succeeded in dramatically shortening the childhood vaccination schedule. And he’s continued to install new ideological allies in high positions who seek to undermine vaccines. Abraham himself, who was newly appointed to his CDC position late last year, has a history of promoting vaccine skepticism during his previous reign as Louisiana’s surgeon general.
Declining vaccination rates for measles and other diseases certainly predate Kennedy’s ascension to power, and this decline can’t be fully blamed on anti-vaccination zealots (health care access, particularly in poorer countries or rural parts of the U.S., is another factor). But there’s nothing about the RFK Jr. era of public health that should inspire confidence in the country’s ability or willingness to take measles seriously.
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