"If you paid the slightest bit of attention to news about infectious disease last year, then surely you read about the resurgence of measles in the U.S., which reached a total number of U.S. cases-2,255 sickened and three fatalities, including multiple children-that hadn't been seen in roughly 34 years, since the last big measles outbreak of 1989-1991. Since the initial outbreak in West Texas in early 2025 that began our current cycle,"
"But guess what? This measles surge isn't a 2025 topic; it's an even bigger 2026 topic. Because the last few weeks saw far more reported measles cases in the U.S. than ANY weeklong period in 2025, indicating that this problem is only getting worse. Potentially much worse. In fact, there have already been more measles cases in the United States in the first three weeks of 2026 than there were in the entirety of 2023 and 2024 ... combined."
U.S. measles cases surged to 2,255 infections and three fatalities, the highest total since 1989–1991. The outbreak began with an initial West Texas event in early 2025 and continued weekly, threatening the nation's 25-year measles elimination status. Early 2026 has seen sharper increases, with more cases in the first three weeks than in all of 2023 and 2024 combined. CDC data as of Jan. 22 recorded 416 confirmed 2026 cases across 14 states. South Carolina accounts for the majority, reaching 649 confirmed infections since last year and risking overtaking Texas as the largest recent outbreak. Most cases are among school-aged children lacking full two-dose MMR protection due to parental vaccine skepticism.
Read at Jezebel
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]