Call it what it is–the US has lost its hold on measles elimination
The author argues that the United States has lost its measles elimination status due to declining vaccination rates and rising outbreaks, and urges public health officials to acknowledge this failure directly rather than using euphemisms.
Background
The US declared measles "eliminated" (no continuous transmission for 12 months) in 2000, a major public-health victory. Elimination does not mean zero cases — imported cases still occur — but the virus does not sustain local spread. That status is now threatened: a large, ongoing outbreak in Texas and New Mexico (centered in an undervaccinated community) has pushed the 2025 case count past 300, and the CDC has confirmed two deaths, the first US measles fatalities in a decade. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has repeatedly spread misinformation about measles and the MMR vaccine, is now Secretary of Health and Human Services. His response to the outbreak has been widely criticized as slow, evasive, and focused on "treatments" rather than vaccination. This op-ed argues that the US has effectively lost its elimination status and that political leadership is failing to confront either the outbreak or the erosion of vaccine confidence.