The United States’ measles outbreak has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases with three deaths so far, state and local data showed on Friday, marking a stark resurgence of a vaccine-preventable disease that the nation once declared eliminated.
Advertisement
The surge comes as US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr continues to undermine confidence in the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine – a highly effective shot he has falsely claimed is dangerous and contains fetal debris.
An Agence France-Presse tally showed there have been at least 1,012 cases since the start of the year, with Texas accounting for more than 70 per cent.
A vaccine-sceptical Mennonite Christian community straddling the Texas-New Mexico border has been hit particularly hard.
A federal database maintained by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lagged behind state and county reporting, as the globally renowned health agency faces deep workforce and budget cuts under US President Donald Trump’s administration.
North Dakota is the latest state to report an outbreak, with nine cases so far. Around 180 school students have been forced to quarantine at home, according to the North Dakota Monitor.