Byron Donalds Blames Measles Outbreak on Illegal Immigration as Florida Falls Below 95% Herd Immunity
Updated
Updated · Raw Story · Aug 23
Byron Donalds Blames Measles Outbreak on Illegal Immigration as Florida Falls Below 95% Herd Immunity
1 articles · Updated · Raw Story · Aug 23
Summary
Byron Donalds triggered a backlash after telling CBS's "Face the Nation" that "rampant illegal immigration" caused the measles outbreak and rejecting a call to urge parents to vaccinate children.
Florida's measles risk has sharpened because nearly all of the state is below the 95% immunization threshold for herd immunity, the benchmark Margaret Brennan cited in the interview.
Doctors, academics and political commentators quickly disputed Donalds' claim online, saying outbreak data and medical consensus point instead to falling childhood vaccination rates.
The clash puts vaccination messaging at the center of Florida's governor's race, with Donalds' remarks amplifying scrutiny of how Republicans frame public health and immigration.