How Vaccine Hesitancy Is Fueling the Return of Measles

Over 50% of measles cases that occurred in the entire year of 2025 were reported within just the first three months of 2026, a concerning statistic since measles was considered eradicated in the early 2000s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). This sharp increase highlights a growing public health concern: declining vaccination rates across the United States.

As South Carolina deals with its rising measles outbreak, with over 900 people infected (2025 Measles Outbreak | South Carolina Department of Public Health, 2025), groups and leaders affiliated with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., continue to push anti-vaccination sentiments outward. This outbreak represents one of the most severe spikes in measles cases since the early 1990s (Tirrell et al., 2026). While physicians and public health advocates warn that falling immunization coverage increases the risk of severe illness and death, anti-vaccine groups argue that vaccination mandates threaten personal freedom. This tension between individual choice and collective safety has created conditions where a preventable disease is spreading widely.

History

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known, capable of lingering in the air for up to two hours after an infected person coughs or sneezes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). Complications include pneumonia, encephalitis (brain swelling), high fevers, and, in severe cases, death (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024b). The recent resurgence of measles illustrates how quickly progress in disease control can unravel when vaccination coverage drops below safe levels.

Measles was officially eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning that any new case that occurred after that year was due to contraction from abroad (CDC, 2024). Due to the implementation of the measles vaccine, achieving complete elimination was a historic achievement. Before making the vaccine in 1963, almost all children had measles by 15 years of age, leading to many hospitalizations and deaths (Health, 2025). In 1971, the vaccines against measles, mumps, and rubella were combined into the MMR vaccine, administered as a single shot and a following booster, which is what is widely used today. The benefits of combining the vaccine include reducing the number of injections a patient receives as well as lowering the costs affiliated with administering vaccines (What to Know about MMR and MMRV Vaccines | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2025).  

MMR Vaccine Coverage for Kindergarteners

When more than 95% of the community is vaccinated, herd immunity, or the widespread resistance to infectious diseases, is achieved. However, vaccination percentages for kindergartners, a susceptible population for measles, have decreased from 95.2% during the 2019–20 school year to 92.5% [below the herd immunity threshold] in the 2024–25 school year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025).

As herd immunity weakens, measles no longer spreads only through international travel. Outbreaks disproportionately affect infants too young to be vaccinated and people with compromised immune systems who rely on others to be vaccinated for protection. When a large percentage of the population is immune via vaccination, the chain of transmission is broken, making it less likely for vulnerable people to come in contact with the disease. If herd immunity is not established, immunocompromised people who are unable to get the vaccine face a high risk of infection.

The Role of Misinformation

One of the strongest drivers of declining vaccination rates is misinformation. False claims linking vaccines to autism, infertility, or government surveillance persist despite overwhelming scientific evidence disproving them. Social media platforms have amplified these narratives, allowing them to spread rapidly and appear credible through repetition and emotional storytelling.

Misinformation often exploits fear, especially among parents trying to protect their children. Stories of alleged vaccine injuries circulate far more easily than data showing millions of lives saved. In many cases, skepticism toward vaccines is tied to broader mistrust of institutions such as government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and medical professionals. This mistrust makes it difficult for public health officials to communicate effectively during outbreaks, even when their guidance is evidence-based.

RFK’s Anti-Vaccine Leadership

The influence of political figures on public perception of vaccines cannot be understated. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, has a long history of promoting claims that question vaccine safety. His public statements and associations with anti-vaccination groups have raised concerns among scientists and healthcare professionals. From no longer recommending COVID shots to cancelling $500 million in federal research contracts to develop new mRNA vaccines, considerable damage has been done to many research fields, as well as scientific beliefs held by many people (Press, 2025). 

In the context of the current measles outbreak, Kennedy’s leadership raises ethical questions about the responsibility of public officials to promote evidence-based health practices. While he frames opposition to mandates as a defense of personal liberty, public health operates on the principle that individual actions affect community outcomes. Choosing not to vaccinate not only affects the individual, but it also increases the risk for everyone around them.

Health and Economic Consequences

Measles outbreaks impose heavy costs on both healthcare systems and families. Hospitalization for measles complications can cost thousands of dollars per patient, and outbreak responses require extensive contact tracing, quarantine enforcement, and emergency vaccination clinics, often funded with tax dollars (Edwards, 2026). Currently, South Carolina has spent around $1.6 million on public health efforts to fight its measles outbreak, and although the number of cases has dropped recently, the outbreak still persists, meaning that costs to combat the disease will still be increasing (Young, 2026). 

Children who survive measles may suffer long-term effects, including weakened immune systems that increase susceptibility to other infections for years (Gadroen et al., 2018). In rare cases, measles can lead to subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a fatal neurological disorder that appears years after infection, and this risk can soar even higher for infants (Rocke & Belyayeva, 2021).

Schools and workplaces may close during outbreaks, disrupting education and productivity. Parents may lose wages while caring for sick children or complying with quarantine orders. These costs far exceed the minimal expense and risk associated with routine vaccination. From a public health perspective, measles outbreaks are not just medical events — they are social and economic crises that strain already limited resources.

What Can Be Done?

Reversing declining vaccination rates will require coordinated efforts at multiple levels:

1. Strengthening Public Health Messaging

2. Rebuilding Trust

3. School and Workplace Policies

4. Monitoring and Rapid Response

5. Media Responsibility

These are just a few ways that government and public health officials, as well as news outlets, can start to regain the trust of the people when it comes to vaccination rates. Vaccines are among the most effective public health tools ever developed. Their success has made diseases like measles seem distant and harmless, which ironically fuels complacency. However, immunity gaps that form when things like vaccination rates decline are when harmful viruses become prevalent again.

Addressing the measles outbreak requires more than medical intervention. It demands political accountability, responsible communication, and an understanding that personal choices have public consequences. Protecting children and communities from measles is not about restricting freedom; it is about preserving life, health, and the progress that generations of scientists and healthcare workers fought to achieve. If vaccination rates continue to fall, measles will not be the only disease to return. It is important to stay educated and take the necessary precautions needed to protect not only yourself but also others all around you. 

References

2025 Measles Outbreak | South Carolina Department of Public Health. (2025). Sc.gov. https://dph.sc.gov/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/measles-rubeola/2025-measles-outbreak

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 13). Global Measles Outbreaks. Global Measles Vaccination. https://www.cdc.gov/global-measles-vaccination/data-research/global-measles-outbreaks/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, April 18). How Measles Spreads. Measles (Rubeola). https://www.cdc.gov/measles/causes/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 9). Measles symptoms and complications. Measles (Rubeola). https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, April 25). Measles cases and outbreaks. Measles (Rubeola); CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

Edwards, E. (2026, March). Measles outbreaks could cost the U.S. over a $1 billion a year, if vaccine rates decline. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/measles-cost-vaccine-rates-decline-billion-year-forecast-rcna260734

Gadroen, K., Dodd, C. N., Masclee, G. M. C., de Ridder, M. A. J., Weibel, D., Mina, M. J., Grenfell, B. T., Sturkenboom, M. C. J. M., van de Vijver, D. A. M. C., & de Swart, R. L. (2018). Impact and longevity of measles-associated immune suppression: a matched cohort study using data from the THIN general practice database in the UK. BMJ Open, 8(11), e021465. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021465

Health, O. (2025, June 6). Everything You Need to Know About the Measles Vaccine. OU Health. https://www.ouhealth.com/blog/2025/june/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-measles-va/

Press, T. A. (2025, August 5). RFK Jr. pulls $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine contracts. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/08/05/nx-s1-5493550/rfk-jr-funding-mrna-vaccine-development

Rocke, Z., & Belyayeva, M. (2021). Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560673/

Tirrell, M., McPhillips, D., & Gumbrecht, J. (2026, January 27). South Carolina measles outbreak is largest in US since measles was declared eliminated. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/health/largest-us-measles-outbreak-south-carolina

What to Know About MMR and MMRV Vaccines | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (2025, September 24). Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/what-to-know-about-mmr-and-mmrv-vaccines

Young, A. (2026, March 4). South Carolina has spent $1.6 million to combat its huge measles outbreak – and it’s not over yet. Healthbeat. https://www.healthbeat.org/2026/03/04/south-carolina-measles-outbreak-public-health-response-cost-to-taxpayers/