US set to lose measles elimination status: The ‘house is on fire’https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5647002-measles-status-outbreaks-kennedy/Measles outbreaks are spreading across the U.S., and the nation is likely to lose its status as a country where the disease is eliminated, something that infectious disease specialists say is directly related to President Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).South Carolina this week quarantined at least 254 people after confirming more than two dozen measles cases in the state. It’s the latest in what has been the worst year for measles in the U.S. in recent history. An outbreak in West Texas this year saw more than 700 confirmed cases since January and the deaths of two children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 47 reported outbreaks in the country this year. “This is a very clear example of the damage that the anti-vaccine movement has done in the United States,” said Fiona Havers, adjunct associate professor at the Emory School of Medicine and a former infectious disease staffer at the CDC. Kennedy was one of the country’s most well-known anti-vaccine advocates when Trump named him to lead the HHS. Since taking power, Kennedy has moved to remake the nation’s vaccine advisory board and other parts of the government to reflect his vision.A nation loses its distinction as a country where measles has been eliminated when it sees at least 12 months of sustained transmission.Measles spiked in Canada and Mexico this year as well, with the former officially losing its measles elimination status last month.The U.S. declared measles to be eliminated in 2000, but Jan. 20 of next year will mark 12 straight months of uninterrupted measles transmission and reaching that day with continued spread looks all but certain.
Havers called this situation “extremely embarrassing” for the U.S. “There are a number of things that have made these ongoing outbreaks very difficult to control. One is that the decades of false information about measles vaccines that [Kennedy Jr.] and other people in the anti-vaccine movement have been spreading has led to a decline in vaccination rates,” Havers said. Haver acknowledged that containing measles outbreaks is becoming more difficult as the vaccination rate continues to decline in the U.S. “But I do think a different administration — what we would have seen is a CDC director giving weekly updates to the press about the status of the measles outbreaks,” she said. “We would have seen money pumped out to the states, with airwaves and billboards being blanketed about measles vaccination and how that’s the most important way of controlling things.” After the death of an 8-year-old girl in Texas due to measles, Kennedy publicly stated that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.” This was a significant admission for Kennedy, who for decades cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. The secretary previously claimed that the MMR vaccine has an “unconscionably high injury rate” and causes “all the illnesses that measles itself causes.”He has long argued there could be a potential connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, though no causal has been found. At the same time, Kennedy promoted vitamin A supplements, cod liver oil and the steroid budesonide to treat the virus. Infectious disease experts said that while these likely would not cause harm, they didn’t offer any added benefits. When he was confirmed, Kennedy made it clear he would shift the HHS’s priorities away from infectious disease and focus more on chronic illness.
Strictly speaking, a country losing its measles-elimination status is a technicality that recognizes the spread of measles has gone uninterrupted for at least one year. According to Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, the imminent deadline isn’t as important when “we can already say the damn house is on fire.” “We don’t need to wait for one more smoke alarm to go off to know that’s happening,” said Osterholm. “Whether we formally lose that elimination status, to me, isn’t even that important in the sense of we already know we’ve got a terrible, terrible problem on our hands.” Osterholm noted that in Canada’s population of roughly 41 million people, there have been more than 5,000 cases this year. “You’re almost 6,000 cases for 40 million people. Do the math for 340 million people, and you can get a sense of just how big this could get,” he said, warning that the next 12 to 18 months could present extreme challenges in terms of fighting infectious diseases. When Canada lost its measles elimination status, it announced it would be coordinating with the Pan American Health Organization to reverse the development. Regaining measles elimination requires that transmission of the current strain be interrupted for at least 12 months. Osterholm said the uptick in measles activity would have occurred regardless of who was in office, though he added, “This administration is only pouring more gas on the fire with the kind of comments that are coming out of HHS.” When asked whether she believes the HHS and CDC under Kennedy’s rule will prioritize regaining measles elimination status, Haver said she was “not optimistic.” “This administration is far more focused on any risks associated with vaccines, without looking at any of the risks associated with the deadly diseases that they prevent.”
“I do think that this is far worse than it would have been under another administration,” she added. “It is not a coincidence that the first year where we’ve had we will have had 12 months of continuously circulating measles in the first 12 months of this administration.” When reached for comment, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said, “Elimination status depends on evidence of continuous transmission for 12 months, and our current assessment is that we have not met that criteria.”“Secretary Kennedy has been very clear that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. Any attempts to spin this are baseless. Individuals should consult with their healthcare provider on what is best for them,” he added.
>>1464989Have we considered that RFK is playing 4D chess and that this is actually a good thing? I feel like someone who knows better than the CDC or someone with (((credentials))) would be right about this too. Maybe instead of pointing fingers at him we should let this play out. Besides I don’t know anyone who has died from the measles. This smells like a democrap hitpiece to distract from all of the presidents successes such as courageously declaring vaccines are a possible link to autism and brilliantly finding Israel more money at a time of economic crisis (caused by Biden)
>>1464994The communities suffering the most from these outbreaks, and absolutely refuse to vaccine under any circumstances, are jewish. The majority residing in Texas and Florida. It has nothing to do with RFK.
>>1464996I never said he was. RFK is the victim here
>>1464998>4D chessDon't be retarded.
>>1464992>“Secretary Kennedy has been very clear that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. Any attempts to spin this are baseless.We have always been at war with Eastasia.
>>1464996You don't need to vaccinate if you just stop bringing browns and asians in from the disease ridden shitholes they were born in. Leave them there, the diseases will stay there with them.
>Measles can damage the lungs and immune system, and also inflict permanent brain damage.https://www.gatech.edu/news/2025/03/31/measles-can-ravage-immune-system-and-brain-causing-long-term-damage-virologistAnecdotal evidence for the brain damage right here >>1464994
>>1465010>White people never get diseasesHilarious
>>1464998>WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE RETARDED NEPOBABY!!!!!A reunion with his dad in hell can't happen soon enough.
>>1464992>>1465004>Another trump toady lies when Kennedy is an anti vaxxier.The only hope is that if trump can be removed from power, Kennedy is prosecuted for any deaths like this or anyone who is immuno compromised who was infected can sue him.
>>1464994Yes, diseases are good, actually, and treatments are bad. Thanks for that big-brain take.
>>1465026White people did conquer Polio, Smallpox, Cholera and a number of other diseases simply by virtue of not shitting in the street/food/water supply and hand-washing regularly. Its the thirdies that brought them back to us, many of these diseases still run roughshot in Africa, China, the Middle East and South America because of the aforementioned shitting in everything that isn't a toilet.Jesus christ, did you think they put the entire city of Chicago up on jacks and installed a sewer system underneath it for political good boy points? We had to do something about the shit in the streets, in the water, in the food, by giving people a safe place to shit that wouldn't contaminate themselves or others. Bringing in people who don't understand this or that come from places where these diseases still run rampant is not the fault of the normal citizens who live here, we didn't vote to let Paco or Chang in.
>>1465048vaccines conquered polio you bloviating faggot
>>1465048>White people did conquer Polio, Smallpox, Cholera and a number of other diseases simply by virtue of not shitting in the street/food/water supply and hand-washing regularlyNo they did it by having fucking vaccines you retard.
I wonder how this disease came back? Surely it wasn't from the tens of millions of South Americans and Somalis that we're paying to bring here
>>1465052The irony is they're 1000% more likely to be vaccinated than the retards who outright refuse.
>>1465052>weshill anon, have you no shame? you get outed as a fake white/american multiple times a day and still you act this shameless
>>1465053Made up facts no longer work on me. Try harder
>>1465055but you just used another made up fact
>>1465050Cholera is a water-born disease. It's why conquering armies used to leave corpses in water wells wherever they want. The disease killed more than any soldier.
>>1465058you are a shill faggot. an army of faggots such as yourself will never conquer anything, but you sure make the internet unusable
>>1465048>White people did conquer Polio, Smallpox, Cholera and a number of other diseases simply by virtue of not shitting in the street/food/water supply and hand-washing regularlyIncorrect. The west conquered polio, smallpox and cholera through medical advancements in vaccine technology. It also wasn't just white people. Several of the key scientists who developed the cultures for polio and smallpox vaccine studies were black doctors from the Tuskegee institute.>Its the thirdies that brought them back to usWrong again. Dipshit RFK followers, religious extremists and anti-vaxxers brought them back. Pretty much all major outbreaks are in places were people refuse to vaccinate their kids.
>>1465055Africans have seen from experience what not having vaccines gets you. They know better than native-born Americans apparently.
>>1465048>White peopleSo you personally did things that were a benefit for humanity? Let the rest of the world know when you do, anon.
>>1464994This anon gets it, it understands the intricacies of 4D chess
>>1464994>I don’t know anyone who has died from the measles>there have been people who have died from Measles>I don’t knowYou should have stopped there
>>1465063>leftoid manlet doesn't know about the time Americans invaded and genocide a large swaths of mexicans using that very same tacticBully for you, gayboy.
>>1465145are you done falsely equating cholera with diseases that have been objectively eradicated by vaccines
>>1464989>Fiona Havers,This story seems to leave out the fact that this woman was fired from the CDC.
>>1465172She was fired because she was actually interested in doing her job instead of rubber stamping whatever antivax bullshit RFK thought up/heard of that week.
>>1465172That's a badge of honor with this administration.
>>1465183Are you sure or did you just make it up?
>>1465049No, it didn't. It's often touted as having done that, but in reality polio was on the decline for decades before either the dead or live vaccines for it were developed, and said vaccines didn't meaningfully change the trajectory of polio's decline.https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-polio-death-rate-was-decreasing-on-its-own-before-the-vaccine-was-introduced_fig2_252553744>>1465053No. Somalis are actually far less likely to be vaccinated or vaccinate their kids. Plenty of articles written about this, even some that have to do with both measles and vaccine hesitancy specifically.
>>1465198i knew you were going to start arguing things that can't be argued, but it's funny that you waited until everyone was asleep. not too confident, are you esl shill
>>1465200Not the same person, bud. So what's the argument to the contrary, and on which point?
>>1465209you aren't a very good liar, this is why nobody takes you seriously
>>1465212>>1465048Isn't me, not sure how to prove that to you. It's certainly not not "Chang" who's bringing the rare diseases back; east asians immigrants to the US have higher average IQs than locals, which I think would be associated with cleanliness. Asians also had higher rates of Covid vaccination, so they probably vaccinate in general as much or more than whites, though that's not exactly what he was talking about.https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00287Do you have a contrary point or argument?
>>1465224don't worry, you've already jumped ship on your own contrary argument
>>1465225Which one was that, schizo-kun?
>>1465200it's Ivan.
