By: Kat Littfin

Editorial Editor 

Measles, once eliminated in the United States, has recently resurged. While this news seems rather insubstantial in contrast with other events occurring in the nation, the disease’s comeuppance implies shifting views on science and politics across the country.

Medical professionals had deemed the respiratory disease eradicated for 25 years up until last spring when doctors noted a resurgence of the disease after it affected a Mennonite community in Texas and soon spread far past the state. Physicians introduced the first iteration of a measles vaccine in 1963, initiating a vast reduction of cases in the following years, especially in the U.S. The measles vaccination is exceptionally effective in preventing the spread of the disease, which is important as measles can be very destructive to a host’s immune system and causes complications in one in five unvaccinated individuals. The measles outbreaks in 2025 and 2026 so far are directly linked to declining vaccination rates, as 90% of measles cases in recent years have occurred among unvaccinated people. 

In Lubbock County, Texas, where the recent outbreaks originated, the Timmons family has achieved much media coverage over their particular experience with the disease. Five of six family members had to be hospitalized while ill, but eventually all family members had a full recovery. While this family has a positive outlook retrospectively, their behavior towards medicine follows a trend among certain right-wing groups – a distrust of modern medicine and pharmaceuticals. The Timmons family and other measles patients sought treatment from Ben Edwards, a physician who gained prominence for aligning himself with Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and advocating against vaccines. Edwards treated patients with natural remedies like cod liver oil and vitamin A, while even falling ill with the disease himself. While the Timmons family recovered and tout their current health, it took them months to reach full recovery. 

With more individuals aligning themselves with the MAHA movement or distrusting health institutions, other unvaccinated communities like the Timmons have similarly been affected, and some patients have not been as lucky as the Timmons and have died in recent outbreaks. During the first three months of 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physicians have reported 16 outbreaks across the United States. One recent outbreak occurred in an El Paso immigration detention center, where 13 reported cases substantiated lawmakers’ concerns about the conditions in the detention centers across the country. 

With recent measles outbreaks highlighting the damaging implications of the reappearance of a once eradicated disease and aligning with other important political occurrences in the country, it will be important to follow this occurrence, as medical treatment and policy may soon change to address the disease’s resurgence. 

(Sources: CDC, NYT, Piedmont Hospital)