Measles makes a comeback
In 2026, the U.S. has seen a surge in outbreaks of the highly contagious, yet vaccine-preventable disease – measles. In just two months, over 1,136 cases of measles have been reported from 28 states, compared with 2,281 cases from 45 states in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). In both 2025 and 2026 so far, over 90% percent of those who contracted the disease were either unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown. Of these, 24% were children under the age of 5, and 57% were between the ages of 5 and 19. Notably, measles was officially eliminated from the US in 2000.
To combat this outbreak, Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has urged families to vaccinate against measles. According to the CDC, two doses of the measles vaccine is 97% effective in preventing the spread of the disease.
Vaccine skepticism
The recent resurgence of measles coincides with rising mistrust of vaccines in recent years. According to a 2025 poll released jointly by the KFF and the Washington Post:
- 16% have skipped or delayed a recommended vaccine
- 35% of parents said that vaccines don’t go through enough safety testing before being recommended for children
- 26% said the CDC recommends too many childhood vaccines.
The childhood vaccination rates for MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) coverage among U.S. kindergartners decreased from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in the 2024–2025 school year.
At a recent media briefing on the current CDC vaccine guidelines, hosted by the American Community Media (ACoM) on February 20, Dr. Richard Besser, pediatrician, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and former acting director of the CDC, attributed the current vaccine hesitancy to a mistrust in public health that developed during the response to the COVID pandemic.
“People’s trust in vaccination is now damaged in ways that we’re seeing play out around the country,” he said. “Viruses don’t respect the borders of states. If you are not vaccinated, measles will find you, and measles will infect you.”
Expert opinions diverge
The consequences of this mistrust of vaccines on pubic health are more pertinent now, given the divergence in vaccine recommendations by the CDC and other long-trusted public health bodies like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The new CDC schedule cuts routine recommendations from 17 diseases to 11, and moves vaccines like flu, RSV, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, and some meningococcal vaccines into “shared clinical decision‑making” categories.
Calling the new CDC guidelines “dangerous and unnecessary,” the AAP said in a statement that it would continue with its immunization schedule, which was backed by over 200 health organizations.
“The evidence is very clear that vaccines help reduce infection burden. We came out of the pandemic largely because of the vaccine,” said SF Bay Area pediatrician Dr. Manisha Panchal, who also specializes in nutrition and travel medicine. “When we look at the science behind every individual vaccine, you can see that we’ve come a long way in terms of infectious diseases, largely because of vaccines,” she said in an interview with India Currents.
Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist and chair of the freshly constituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has said, however, that the ACIP would prioritize patient autonomy over vaccine mandates, eschewing “authoritarian” mandates on vaccines, which, if not taken as prescribed, could keep a child out of school. He has also argued for a rethink on the oral polio and MMR vaccine mandates in the United States. “The patient and the doctor know each other, and they should be making the decisions on what the risks are of disease and of the vaccine,” Dr. Milhoan said in a recent YouTube podcast interview.
The ACIP, whose recommendations may be adopted as policy by the CDC, is scheduled to meet on March 18.
The impact of disease burden
The possibility that the CDC might move away from mandating certain childhood vaccines for school admissions has concerned medical experts about a weaker herd immunity. “It is one of the most frightening ideas I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said Dr. Besser. “If you’re sending your vaccinated child to kindergarten, they might be sitting next to a child who is unvaccinated, which could potentially give them something quite serious,” he said.
ACIP chair Dr. Milhoan’s comments about reviewing polio and MMR vaccine mandates also concerned Dr. Besser. “I visited a polio hospital in India and saw the outcome of what happens in communities that have not had the same access to vaccination, and it’s debilitating,” he said.
He added that parents who have never seen polio may find it challenging to decide whether to give their children the vaccine. “But the idea that polio could come back to our country is just devastating,” Dr. Besser said.
Dr. Panchal agreed: “I’ve done a lot of international medicine. When you see people who’ve had polio before, then you realize the power of the vaccine.”
Populations that have suffered the burden of infections are more likely to be aware of the consequences of not being vaccinated, said Dr. Panchal. “In general, the South Asian community [in the Bay Area] tends to be very pro-vaccine, and I think a lot of it is based on the culture and the history in the South Asian community, because they’ve seen the infections, they’ve seen the impact of disease burden. In fact, they want the vaccine, so anything new that comes out, they’re asking about it, they want it,” she said.
Diseases without borders
Dr. Besser said it was critical that public health leaders and trusted local voices step up and partner with communities to provide vaccines in familiar gathering places like churches and community centers.
Criticizing the U.S. decision this January to pull out of the World Health Organization. Dr. Besser said the move would put Americans and people around the world at risk. “Infectious diseases do not respect borders. And most of the emerging pathogens, the new emerging diseases, have arisen in places around the globe where animals, humans, and the environment collide,” he said.
Dr. Panchal echoed that sentiment: “I think we underestimate how much people travel nowadays….We may think that we’re actually siloed, but we’re all holding hands,” she said.
Several states stay the course
Guidelines about whether a vaccine is mandatory or optional not only determine public health outcomes, but also which preventive care gets covered by insurance. Since the CDC published its revised schedule in January, several states have moved to preserve and protect vaccine schedules with new legislation. At least 27 states and Washington, DC have rejected some or all of the new CDC vaccine schedule, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Most of these states plan to follow AAP guidelines.
In late 2025, California codified its divestment from CDC and ASIP recommendations for vaccines and preventive care with legislation that froze such guidelines as they existed on January 1, 2025. It puts the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in charge of any changes, using guidance from organizations such as the AAP and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
California vaccination guidelines for schools remain unchanged.
For families on the fence about vaccine decisions, Dr. Panchal urged them to discuss their concerns with their doctors rather than trying to talk to friends or just figure it out themselves. “Doctors are very well versed in understanding the research and the data, and can help you interpret it,” she said.
Resources for vaccine information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2024 guidelines
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2026 guidelines
California Department of Public Health
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Public Health Association
Featured Photo by CDC on Unsplash
*Some of the comments from experts have been edited for clarity.