In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.
As of April 3, 2025, a total of 607 confirmed* measles cases were reported by 22 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
The problem is far from over. Teddy Rosenbluth at NYT:
Both the W.H.O. withdrawal and the possible loss of Gavi’s funding are likely to cause a surge in measles cases overseas, increasing the likelihood that a U.S. traveler will bring the virus back into the country, said Dr. Walter Orenstein, a professor emeritus at Emory University and the former director of the National Immunization Program at the C.D.C.
“People don’t understand that supporting global immunization not only is good for their countries, but for our country,” he said.
This week’s layoffs at the C.D.C. included staff members who communicate with the public during infectious disease outbreaks and help craft campaigns to encourage vaccination.
Now communications will be centralized at the Department of Health and Human Services, under the control of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic. The department did not respond to requests for comment.
