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US measles cases just climbed to over 1,500, with surges in three states
(www.independent.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2026
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As I said, the vaccine doesn't work for everyone. Even the CDC notes
Meaning that, even in the best case, 3% of the population is vulnerable. Add in the vast number of 1957-1989 adults who have not gotten a booster, and you easily fall below the 95% threshold to needed to keep measles in check.
Anti-vaxxers are 100% responsible for the loss of herd immunity against measles in the US.
Yeah this. The earlier guy would have a hard time explaining why the resurgence isn't happening in other countries, despite them having much the same science.
Are you saying a measles outbreak would still have happened without the anti-vax crowd? Or that the rise of anti-vax sentiment didn't contribute to the current outbreak? I don't know why you keep saying the vaccine is only 95% effective, nobody is claiming it's 100%....
I don't know how anyone can look at the rise of anti-vax, and the current outbreak of a previously well-managed disease, and not think the two are at least somewhat related unless they themselves are anti-vax..
I'm saying that measles outbreaks are nothing new.
And I'm pointing out the 97% effectiveness of the vaccine, because that's hideously close to the 95% immunity level needed for herd immunity. And the 95% matters because even if there were no antivaxxers in the country, we still wouldn't have herd immunity, because:
There is a significant percentage of people who believe they were vaccinated, but who are actually undervaxxed: anyone in the '57-'67 cohort who didn't get a booster as an adult is undervaxxed, and people in the '67-89 cohort who didn't get a booster are very likely undervaxxed. And once you combine the people who are undervaxxed with the people for whom the vaccine didn't work, we're past the 95% herd immunity threshold.
Prior outbreaks were held in check by a lot of work and outreach by public health workers, and those workers have been defunded.
Are antivaxxers contributing to the current outbreak? Absolutely! But that's not the only factor involved.
I think this is a good call out to either get your immunity tested or just get the booster. I have a good primary doctor who routinely gets her new adult patients tested for immunity to the common diseases vaccinated against in childhood, and I tested negative for measles. I would've had no idea that I lost immunity and needed a booster otherwise.
The point is, the more people vaccinated, the less we have to worry about the 3%. And even for the 3%, the disease is attenuated.