US Measles Cases Hit 4,588, Exposing Republican Vaccine Rift Before Midterms
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Oct 25
US Measles Cases Hit 4,588, Exposing Republican Vaccine Rift Before Midterms
2 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Oct 25
Summary
4,588 confirmed US measles infections by Oct. 22 have turned vaccines into a midterm liability for Republicans, with the country expected to lose its measles-elimination status next month.
Three deaths this year match 2025's toll, and pediatrician Paul Offit said the virus now has a foothold in the US, with thousands of additional cases likely unreported and transmission lasting into 2027.
That outbreak collides with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine skepticism: KFF polling found 77% of Republicans still trust the MMR vaccine, while more than 90% of Democrats do.
Florida Republicans are pushing to drop four school vaccine mandates, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has aligned with Kennedy while investigating whether healthcare companies illegally paid doctors to promote vaccines.
Democrats are using the issue to cast Republicans as anti-science, while some GOP candidates and incumbents, including Susan Collins, are publicly distancing themselves from Kennedy's vaccine views.