March 3  |  2025  

Public Health Impact Statement: Preventing More Deaths from Vaccine-Preventable Illnesses

Last week, a child died from measles — a vaccine-preventable illness. In the United States. 

The Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) is deeply concerned about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s inaccurate statements regarding the measles outbreak in Texas. His incorrect and misleading statements included:  

• “this is nothing unusual; we have measles outbreaks every year”
• cases currently hospitalized in Texas are “because they are being quarantined”
•  “two people had died in the Texas outbreak”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Texas Department of Health Services confirmed only one fatality. Texas hospitals indicated individuals hospitalized were due to experiencing troubled breathing not because of quarantine. It is important to note that the U.S. has only had four measles outbreaks with more than 100 cases in the past 10 years. Finally, dismissing concerns about the measles outbreak as “nothing unusual” minimizes the needless death of a child from a preventable illness. 

False statements like those made by the HHS Secretary have led to rising levels of vaccine hesitancy that have outpaced the public health and medical sectors’ ability to address the flow of misinformation.

Instead of downplaying and making light of the situation as “nothing unusual,” IPHA and our public health partners call on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to actively support the MMR vaccine and urge all parents and caregivers to ensure their children get the CDC recommended two doses of MMR vaccine. Additionally, unvaccinated adults should get at least one does of MMR vaccine.

As of today, there are more than 130 cases of measles across two states — Texas and New Mexico. The data from Texas indicates 124 cases of measles, almost all among unvaccinated individuals or persons whose vaccination status is unknown. Thus far, 18 people have been hospitalized. In Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of the current outbreak, the vaccine exemption rate was nearly 18% for the 2023-2024 school year, according to health department data.

Sadly, this is the first reported U.S. death from the illness since 2015; the last time a child died of measles in the U.S. was 22 years ago in 2003. Measles was eliminated from the United States 25 years ago but dropping vaccination rates due to misinformation and anti-vaccine advocacy groups erroneously linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, has left some communities vulnerable to outbreaks. 

Measles is highly contagious. About 90% of unvaccinated people will contract the virus if exposed. Currently the CDC recommends children receive one dose of MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age and another at four to six years. Two doses will prevent 97% of measles cases.

Before vaccination became widely available in 1963, an estimated 400-500 people died from measles each year and 48,000 were hospitalized. In the last five years or so, U.S. average school vaccination rates for the MMR shot have fallen below 95% — which is the CDC's recommended level for preventing outbreaks.

Persistent false claims about the MMR vaccine include the debunked link between vaccines and autism, which has falsely led some to believe that vaccines are more harmful than the diseases they prevent. These claims downplay the severity of measles and dismiss it as rare or harmless. Misinformation on social media and rhetoric from anti-vaccine groups also commonly suggest delaying or skipping vaccines for children to avoid unfounded risks, despite the CDC’s evidence-based schedule. These misleading narratives erode public confidence in vaccines, fueling larger and faster outbreaks.

While a large share of the public correctly views the false claim that “the measles vaccine is more dangerous than the disease itself” as definitely false, KFF polling from February 2024 finds that most adults express some uncertainty when it comes to this claim. The study also found that misleading narratives about vaccine safety are more likely to be supported along partisan lines. This is especially true for the claim that “MMR vaccines have been proven to cause autism in children.”

To combat misinformation about the MMR vaccine, the public health community, health professionals, and the media should address and counter common misconceptions and false narratives. Various health communication resources provide guidance for public health communications staff covering MMR vaccination rates and hesitancy. These resources emphasize the importance of clearly distinguishing between vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine beliefs, highlighting the high vaccination rates among U.S. students, and exploring reasons for delayed or incomplete vaccinations.

The death of a child underscores the danger of measles — it is a severe illness and, despite being preventable with vaccination, it can kill. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to CDC. 

Vaccines offer the safest and best protection against this dangerous disease. We urge public health agencies and healthcare providers to work together to strengthen communicable disease surveillance; promote the childhood vaccine schedule; and fight back against misinformation and false statements about vaccines and the importance of immunizations across the lifespan. Only through these actions can we protect our vulnerable populations from emerging outbreaks.

Resources

Texas announces first death in measles outbreak. Texas health and Human Services, Department of State Health Services. February 26, 2025.

First measles death reporting in Texas as Kennedy downplays the outbreak. Erika Edwards, NBC News. February 26, 2025.

Vaccine misinformation spreads as children head back to school. KFF The Monitor. September 12, 2024.

Epidemiology of Measles – United States, 2001 – 2003. CDC. MMWR August 13, 2004; 53(31); 13-716.

CDC Measles Cases and Outbreaks webpage provides an interactive map and charts showing the current locations of measles cases as reported to CDC. Beginning February 21, 2025, this page is updated every Friday.

Which vaccines does my family need? Vaccinate Your Family.

Statement on the Rise of Measles Cases in the US and Global Implications. Global Virus Network. February 27, 2025.

Measles outbreak challenges Trump’s public health vision. Bryant Furlow. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. February 26, 2025.