We’d think that infectious diseases like pox and measles would be the news of yesterday by now. However, that is not the case with the US. Currently, there is an outbreak of measles in Texas. There’s a resurgence of measles cases at an alarming rate. Since it is a communicable disease, the chances of more people contracting the new disease are high.
Dr. Ashish Jha states that this measles outbreak could be the worst one in the century of the past 25 years. He is the former White House COVID-19 response coordinator and knows all about the spread of the disease.
Furthermore, he said, “This is all wholly preventable; we’ve already had two people die. I’m worried we’re going to see more children get very, very sick and die. We should not be at this point in our country, and yet here we are because of bad information being spread by Secretary Kennedy and others.”
The current state is truly alarming since people should not be dying from a preventable disease. It’s a failure of the healthcare department and progress in science to have people die of measles.
Measles outbreak in the US threatens global vaccination efforts as funding cuts to WHO programmes and misinformation on social media hinder plans to eliminate the virus by 2030 https://t.co/q9YgT0UOwH
— The National (@TheNationalNews) March 30, 2025
The US healthcare department is often bombarded with issues. Recently, there was another outbreak in the US: the Candida auris fungus, which caused an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat.
Jha also said that just two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella(MMR) vaccine are 97% effective in preventing the disease. Only immunization can help prevent the spread, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs this claim.
According to him, we need to promote the vaccines broadly in different communities. There are still certain families and communities who do not get vaccinations. Anti-vaxxers can be a threat to healthy people and play a role in the spread of the disease.
As of now, the vaccination drive is slow, and people lack awareness. So far, 400 cases have been reported, along with 40 people admitted to the hospital. Most people who are affected are unvaccinated. Texas Department of State Health Services revealed this information to encourage people to get vaccinated and allow their kids to receive the right vaccination dose at a young age.
Growing measles outbreak in Texas pushes U.S. cases above 520 https://t.co/MhnrNEZcKy
— NBC News Health (@NBCNewsHealth) March 28, 2025
Donald Trump‘s administration has already made $12B in healthcare cuts. Hopefully, this won’t affect the vaccinations and measles treatment for those affected. This year, over 20 states have already reported measles cases. Even, Colorado has confirmed a case while it isn’t even on CDC’s list of impacted communities. The CDC has already released measures to prevent it especially in the warmer weather with people having travel plans.
The cases are rising, and there is a need for prompt solutions. Travel limitations from affected areas, if infected, along with vaccination drives, will ensure fewer cases. There must be surveillance programs in place so that the cases don’t rise. The US needs a better plan and prevent the anti-vaxxers from coming in the way of immunization.
