Over the past few days, more than 500 cases of measles have been reported from a clinic in western Texas. Almost all of the cases reported are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). At least 41 people have been hospitalized so far. Children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases at 164, followed by children ages 4 and under, comprising 131 cases. These cases make up a total of 483 confirmed measles cases by the CDC. So far, measles cases have been reported in at least 19 states: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington. Commenting on the recent outbreak, Hingham High School Junior Nico Mangili says, “I thought measles was gone, I thought it was an old disease that was cured. I do not know how it could break out again.” 

A History of Measles:

Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by the measles virus. The symptoms of measles typically include fever, cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. As the disease progresses, a large rash may begin to develop over the infected body. In terms of transmission, measles is an airborne disease that travels easily from person to person through the coughs or sneezes of those infected. In the 9th century, Persian physician, and scholar Abū Bakr Muhammad Zakariyyā Rāzī published one of the first known written accounts of measles. In 1757, Scottish physician Francis Home demonstrated that measles was caused by an infectious agent in the blood of patients. In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, requiring healthcare providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases. Before the first measles vaccine was established, the disease was a common childhood disease, with most patients contracting it before they were 15 years old. When asked about her worries of getting measles, Hingham High School Junior Katie Teague says, “I have never really been scared of getting measles, because I am vaccinated.” 

Measles Now:

Recently, a large number of measles cases have been reported in a small county in Texas. This outbreak comes as a surprise for many, as a measles outbreak has not been reported in a very long time. While there is no direct cause identified at the moment, some government officials speculate that Robert F. Kennedy’s anti-vaccine speculation may be to blame. Kennedy, who was recently announced as the head of the Trump administration’s Department of Health Services, has been known to have frequent speculations regarding vaccinations and other forms of modern medicine. This recent outbreak has frightened democratic officials, who have been in support of vaccination for a while. In the near future, we may see this used as a political fuel to power the democratic party’s case against the republican party for the 2028 presidential election.