We're heading backwards. Measles was officially eliminated from the U.S. a quarter-century ago, thanks to widespread vaccines and recognition that they worked. But now the potentially deadly disease that brings a red rash and fever has roared back, with at least 1,288 confirmed cases this year across 38 states and the District of Columbia -- the highest number since 1992. This may seem scary, but doctors say vaccinated people needn't worry about the illness. "If you’re up-to-date on your vaccines, your risk of measles remains very low," posts Katelyn Jetelina, a public health instructor at Yale University.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can kill children and even some adults. Symptoms usually last just a few weeks, but the disease can cause pneumonia and other severe complications. At least 155 measles patients have been hospitalized since January and three – all unvaccinated – have died, reports the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In contrast, only three measles deaths were reported from 2001-24.

High vaccination rates kept measles at bay, but those protection rates are slipping. About 92 percent of this year's cases were in people who were unvaccinated or whose status was unknown. Doubts about the vaccine's effectiveness and safety have spread in recent years. A prominent skeptic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is now the president's health secretary. He downplayed the measles outbreak as “not unusual,” says getting vaccinated is up to each family and has endorsed unproven treatments. Kennedy's Cabinet department isn't promoting vaccination campaigns for schools and communities, as medical groups suggest. Still, the CDC says it "continues to recommend MMR [measles, mumps and rubella] vaccines as the best way to protect against measles.”

U.S. health secretary says: "We have measles outbreaks every year." – Robert F, Kennedy, Jr.

Professor says: "Contrary to rumors blaming measles on illegal immigration, historical data shows that measles is usually caught abroad by U.S. residents who then bring it back home." – Katelyn Jetelina, Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn.

Past federal official says: "If vaccination rates don't start to improve in America, deadly outbreaks of diseases that have ravaged the country will become normal again. . . . Other deadly infectious diseases we've eradicated might come roaring back as well." – Jeff Nesbit, an assistant secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden from 2023-25