The Trump administration’s actions to dismantle international public health safeguards, defund local health departments, and promote health misinformation have experts concerned about a potential long-term measles resurgence in the country.
If federal health officials continue on this path, large multistate outbreaks, like the one in West Texas which has spread to neighboring states and resulted in two deaths, could become more common.
“We have really opened the door for this virus to come back,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, former CDC Director.
For an outbreak to happen in the US, the virus must be imported and reach a large unvaccinated population.