The US has its worst measles epidemic in 33 years

Since the beginning of 2025, the United States has recorded its worst measles epidemic in 33 years. The U.S. Secretary of Health, vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr., is accused of fueling this health crisis.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, 1,277 cases have been confirmed since the beginning of the year in almost 40 of the 50 US states. The epidemic has left three people dead, including two young children, and 155 hospitalized.

Texas accounts for over 60% of cases. The epidemic began in January in a rural region of this state, home to a Mennonite community, an ultra-conservative population that receives few vaccinations.

The figures for this epidemic are probably underestimated, experts have told the Guardian, expressing concern at the under-reporting of cases.

"When you talk to people in the field, you get the impression that this epidemic has been severely underestimated," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. According to him, the confirmed cases represent only "the tip of a much larger iceberg".

RFK Jr's handling of the measles epidemic has come in for criticism, particularly from health professionals. They accuse him of downplaying the seriousness of the situation, and criticize his vaccine-skeptic rhetoric.

RFK Jr has often claimed that there is a link between the mandatory MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism. The scientific community has repeatedly refuted this theory.

Measles was declared eradicated in the USA in 2000 thanks to vaccination. However, infection rates have risen again in recent years, due to the drop in vaccination rates since the Covid-19 pandemic. This rate is below the critical threshold needed to avoid epidemics.

The last major outbreak was recorded in 2019 in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey, with 1,274 cases, but no deaths were reported.

An annual rate higher than that of 2025 dates back to 1992, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 2,126 cases.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread by respiratory droplets and remains airborne for up to two hours after the infected person has left home.

It causes fever, respiratory symptoms and skin rashes. In some cases, more serious complications can occur, such as pneumonia and inflammation of the brain, which can lead to severe after-effects and death.

The epidemic is also affecting the United States' North American neighbors. According to Health Canada, more than 3,500 cases have been reported in Canada since the beginning of the year, the vast majority in the province of Ontario, where one infant has died.

In Mexico, nearly 2,600 cases and nine deaths have been recorded, as reported by the Pan-American Health Organization in early July.