The United States recorded its worst measles outbreak in 35 years in 2026, according to official figures released on Friday. This serious and contagious disease has been making a powerful comeback for over a year, against a backdrop of growing vaccine hesitancy in the country.
In just seven months, 2,318 confirmed cases have been reported according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), surpassing the 2025 total, which had already set records with 2,289 cases and three deaths, including two young children.
“This is a preventable crisis that disproportionately affects children,” said Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in a statement. “We should not accept this as our new normal,” he added.
In 2000, this highly contagious disease was considered eradicated in the United States thanks to vaccination. However, it has made a strong comeback in recent years due to declining vaccination rates and growing distrust of health authorities. This crisis is one that Donald Trump’s Health Secretary, vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr., is accused of contributing to by fueling fears about vaccines for years.
The United States has not seen a measles epidemic of this magnitude since 1991. The current episode, which began in 2025, has not yet been contained, and experts expect the number of cases to continue to rise. Melissa Nolan, a lecturer in epidemiology at the University of South Carolina—the state with the highest number of infections this year—stated she is “convinced there is under-diagnosis” of cases.
Although the measles vaccine is mandatory in the United States, Americans can bypass the rule in much of the country by citing religious or sometimes even philosophical reasons. These non-medical vaccine exemptions have surged since the Covid-19 pandemic and the explosion of vaccine misinformation.
According to a September 2025 poll by the Washington Post and the NGO KFF, one in six American parents avoids or delays vaccinating their children due to fear of side effects and a lack of trust in health authorities. Experts warn that this epidemic may unfortunately be just the beginning, with fears of rising cases of whooping cough and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-25 14:53:37 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://2424.mg/sante-mondiale-les-etats-unis-frappes-par-une-epidemie-de-rougeole-a-un-niveau-jamais-vu-en-35-ans/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sante-mondiale-les-etats-unis-frappes-par-une-epidemie-de-rougeole-a-un-niveau-jamais-vu-en-35-ans