Well, congratulations, America: thanks to the ongoing measles mess kicked off right here in West Texas, we’re about to lose our “measles-free” merit badge—something we earned with decades of hard work, vaccines, and functioning public health policy. But who needs all that when you can have 762 cases, 99 hospitalizations, and a $12.6 million price tag? Nothing says “fiscal responsibility” like reviving a disease we already solved.
The whole thing hinges on whether this year’s outbreaks are linked to the big West Texas one that started back in January. If the virus has been on an uninterrupted road trip across the country, hopping from Texas to Utah to Arizona like it’s got a National Parks passport, we lose our status. Scientists are analyzing measles genomes like they’re running 23andMe for viruses, trying to figure out whether these outbreaks are cousins or complete strangers who just happen to be wearing the same genetic jeans.
Meanwhile, federal leadership—from RFK Jr. at HHS to the Trump administration—seems far more interested in… checks notes… undermining vaccines, firing experts, replacing CDC information with conspiracy filler, and insisting everything’s fine, actually. Public health officials trying to stop the outbreak describe the response as a mix of mixed messages, denial, and being ghosted by their own bosses. Very reassuring.
Scientists are doing what they can: tracking mutations, comparing genomes, studying wastewater, and begging communities suspicious of modern medicine to tell them if anyone has, you know, a rash. But when parents avoid care because gas money beats measles testing, and the CDC hasn’t held a single measles press briefing since Trump took office, it’s hard to win a public health battle using only microscopes and hope.
So now, early next year, an international health panel will decide whether the U.S. has allowed measles to spread long enough to lose our elimination status. If that happens, it’ll be a historic first: the world’s wealthiest nation, brought down not by a supervirus, but by vibes, Facebook posts, and West Texas stubbornness.
At this rate, are we trying to eliminate measles—or public health itself?
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/05/texas-measles-outbreak-spread-elimination/