In early February, a measles outbreak started in West Texas and began spreading to different  parts of the state; there were  also other cases that were found in New Mexico. As of press time there have been nearly 600 cases spanning several states that have  been reported to medical centers;  three have died.  

The outbreak is considered  extremely significant because measles was known to be eradicated from the US since  2000.  

Measles can lead to serious  complications, with one in five unvaccinated people needing  hospitalization. It is highly contagious and an airborne  disease, spread through coughing,  sneezing, or breathing.  

To prevent measles, there is a vaccine that was invented in 1963. Most people get this vaccine  when they are one year old, but  the vaccine is generally meant for under five-year-olds. After a  second dose of the same vaccine, recipients are set for a long time,  up to your whole life. After this shot was invented, many people have been taking it, and there has barely been any cases of measles since then.

There have been numerous cases during this measles outbreak where people have died. The deceased have one thing  in common–they have not been vaccinated. NBC News found that less than 93 percent of children attending school around the age  of 5 have not been vaccinated. This information explains the deadliness of the measles  outbreak.  

However, vaccines–a tried and  true preventative, responsible for  widely eradicating the disease  in the US and widely endorsed  by medical professionals and  the Centers for Disease Control  and Prevention–have been complicated by the appointment  of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health  Secretary.  

Kennedy had been a prominent anti-vaccine activist who has  touted discredited theories about vaccine efficacy, exaggerating its  risks, and claiming that vitamin A is an effective treatment.  

However, he is now encouraging  people to get vaccinated against  measles in a national network interview. Despite this change of tune, Reuters reports that pediatricians and infectious disease experts say the nationwide fight against the illness is being hampered by a lack of forceful advocacy for vaccines and a consistent message to parents. 

Vaccination rates in the US are falling amidst historic viral outbreaks.  

Dylan Garcia ’27 said, “Children who are not vaccinated not only endanger themselves, but also the lives of those around them who may not be vaccinated either.”