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There is no better encapsulation of the anti-science regression that our country is currently in the throes of than the ongoing measles outbreak. Not only are people dying from a disease that we have the ability to prevent through vaccination, but their deaths are somehow still being weaponized by the anti-vaxxer movement.
Here in Boulder, a community that prioritizes science, vaccination rates are high — 95.4% as of the 2023/2024 school year. But even here it is vital that we redouble our faith in science and encourage all families to have their children vaccinated. Because when you get vaccinated, you are not only protecting yourself, you are also playing a part in protecting your whole community.
As of Friday, there have been roughly 320 confirmed measles cases in Texas and New Mexico. That’s more cases in the first three months of the year than the U.S. had in all of 2024. And, tragically, two deaths have been attributed to measles, including one child.
Both of the people who died were unvaccinated. The child was the first child to die from measles in the U.S. in more than 20 years.
Diseases and sicknesses are simply a part of social living. As long as humans live in communities, we are going to pass sicknesses to one another. But over the course of the last century, we have, through the miracle of science, created vaccines that provide us protection from many of the most destructive diseases we have known, including measles. In fact, it is estimated that vaccines have saved 154 million lives.
In the U.S., the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine proved so effective that measles was considered eliminated in 2000.
But in the years since, the anti-vaxxer movement has gained traction. Since 2019, the measles vaccination rate in the U.S. has steadily fallen from roughly 95% to below 92%. This is important because herd immunity is achieved when 95% of the population is inoculated — when enough people are vaccinated, the disease can’t spread.
Considering that measles is more contagious than COVID-19, smallpox and ebola, it shouldn’t be surprising to see the disease spread as our vaccination rate lowers.
But that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.
All of this is put through an even more troubling lens by the elevation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a long history in the anti-vaxxer movement, to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Since the measles outbreak began, Kennedy has peddled one fringe theory after another about why people are getting measles and how to treat an infection. And instead of encouraging the vaccination of children — the safe and potent way to prevent infection — Kennedy has said getting the MMR vaccine should be a “personal choice.”
This is where things get somewhat philosophical.
It is important to clarify here that the MMR vaccine is highly recommended by the CDC and required for children who attend public school. But it is possible to get an exemption for non-medical reasons.
So while the MMR vaccine may be technically required (and recommended) it is possible to forgo it. And, unfortunately, many do.
We cannot argue with the reality that getting vaccinated is a personal choice when it comes to protecting yourself. How you choose to protect yourself or your family from sickness is entirely personal. What is less personal is the responsibility we have to our communities.
Think of it like car insurance. Not only are we protecting ourselves from financial harm in the event of a crash, but we are also protecting our fellow drivers in the event that we are responsible for damaging their vehicle in a crash.
Individual freedoms are important. We don’t ever want to see them trampled. But we also believe that if everyone was properly informed about the benefits (and very, very limited risks) of vaccines, more people would make the choice to be vaccinated.
Speaking of risks, vaccines are incredibly safe. So much so that the CDC’s vaccine safety website puts it painfully simply: “Vaccines are very safe.”
Unfortunately, being informed about such a divisive topic is only likely to get more difficult in a country that is at war with science and reliable information. Not only is Kennedy leading HHS, but the Trump administration’s apparent modus operandi is to delegitimize science for the sake of convenient ignorance.
As we watch the tragic spread of measles — experts say it is when not if it will come to Colorado — let’s all do what we can to prevent the spread of misinformation and encourage everyone to stay up to date on their shots.
We owe it to each other.
— Gary Garrison for the Editorial Board
