Measles was considered officially eliminated in the US in 2000, according to the World Health Organization. That was until 2008, when the deadly disease made a comeback. In the past year, outbreaks across the country have surged, in line with the spread of the anti-vaccine movement.
And now, a child has died from measles in New York state, for the first time in 30 years. This was extremely preventable, and it also endangers other children and people who came into contact with that family. The U.S. government bears responsibility for this, by spreading anti-vaxx nonsense and reducing recommendations for childhood immunisations overall.
Sign the petition to demand that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put the health and safety of Americans first by returning to recommending a full panel of vaccinations for children!Measles is one of the most contagious diseases on the planet. In the early 1900s, this deadly disease killed an average of 6,000 people every year across the country.
In addition to killing people, it also causes severe illness and even long-term health complications. These include: blindness, brain swelling and brain damage, severe dehydration and diarrhea, and respiratory illnesses. So it was a huge scientific breakthrough when researchers created and released the measles vaccine in 1963. Suddenly, children and vulnerable people were much safer, which benefited larger society as well.
But then came the anti-vaxx movement. Built on superstitions and conspiracy theories, and spread on social media, this fringe movement became bigger and louder and more influential. This culminated in Donald Trump nominating
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in 2025 to become the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which also oversees the CDC.
RFK is famously anti-vaxx, and has rolled back childhood immunization recommendations - cutting them by a third.Unsurprisingly, since then, preventable childhood diseases have skyrocketed. In just one day alone, Pennsylvania reported 1,338 new measles cases. Already, six people have died in the state. And New York declared a disaster emergency in early October 2026 due to huge outbreaks of measles in rural New York, as well as in surrounding states. And now a child is dead.
The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, said: "This is New York's first measles-related death in 30 years, a devastating reminder of what's at stake when Washington [DC] deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses."
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. should be ashamed of himself. Sign the petition to demand that the CDC reverse course on its vaccine-skepticism and return to keeping Americans safe by recommending a full panel of life-saving immunizations! 