Daijiworld Media Network -New York
New York, Apr 24: A new KFF Health News survey highlights a troubling resurgence of misinformation about measles and its vaccines across America, coinciding with the nation’s most serious outbreak in ten years. As of April 17, health authorities had confirmed 800 cases across 25 states—the majority clustered in West Texas, where two unvaccinated, otherwise healthy children have died—alongside a fatality in New Mexico.
Survey lead Ashley?Kirzinger warned that “we’re seeing an uptick in the share of people who have heard these false claims,” underscoring how rapidly vaccine myths can spread. The research also revealed a stark partisan divide: nearly two thirds of Republican leaning parents were unaware of the outbreak, while the same proportion of Democratic leaning parents knew of the rising case count.
Alarmingly, among parents who accepted at least one vaccine falsehood, 25?percent admitted to skipping or delaying recommended shots for their children—more than twice the rate of those who rejected such claims. Public health experts caution that this growing uncertainty threatens to erode decades of progress: although measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, declining vaccination rates now risk revoking that status.
Measles, a highly contagious viral illness, spreads through respiratory droplets and can lead to severe complications or death. Common symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a full body rash. Globally, the disease claimed an estimated 107,500 lives in 2023—mostly children under five—even though a safe, cost effective vaccine has existed for decades.
Meanwhile, federal response has drawn criticism for downplaying the crisis. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert?F.?Kennedy Jr. described outbreaks as “not unusual,” offering little emphasis on vaccination. As the nation battles both a spike in cases and an epidemic of misinformation, experts stress that reinforcing public trust in vaccines is critical to safeguarding children and preserving measles elimination.