New Catastrophe Shakes America, Highest Record in 35 Years

The number of measles cases across the United States has surged dramatically to 2,295 this year. This spike in infections of the highly contagious disease marks the highest annual record in 35 years, since 1991, according to official data from Johns Hopkins University. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory viral infection that was declared eliminated from the US in 2000, thanks to a successful mass vaccination campaign. However, case numbers suddenly soared last year, increasing more than eightfold compared to 2024. “Individuals who are unvaccinated or those with unknown vaccination status represent almost all of the reported measles cases,” Johns Hopkins University stated in its update. “This is consistent with estimates that two doses of the measles vaccine provide 97% protection for those vaccinated.” According to statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the last time the national case count was higher was in 1991, when the US recorded 9,643 cases. Data from JHU indicates that the largest outbreaks this year are concentrated in South Carolina and Utah, following a major multi-state outbreak in West Texas that spread to New Mexico and neighbouring states in 2025. “This tells us that it is the result of years of low vaccination coverage in some communities,” said William Moss, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “It is very frustrating. It is a reflection that we have not been able to stop measles virus transmission in this country,” Moss added. The surge in measles cases coincides with a growing trend of public scepticism and doubt regarding vaccine effectiveness, both in the United States and globally. Health experts believe this rejection has been fuelled by the spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing protests against vaccine mandates. US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine sceptic, recommended that people receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine following the outbreak in Texas. However, he stressed that the decision to vaccinate remains entirely a personal choice. “The decision to vaccinate is a personal decision,” Kennedy Jr. asserted. A similar stance was echoed by US President Donald Trump. In an interview with ABC News last year, Trump confirmed he recommends the use of the MMR vaccine to the public but refused to make it a binding legal requirement. “I recommend it. Yes… Do I mandate it? No,” President Trump stated.