U.S. Loses Measles Elimination Status Because Borders Are 'Somewhat Porous'

KEY POINTS

•The 2025 West Texas measles outbreak ended in August with 762 cases and two deaths, the first in ten years.
•South Carolina and the Utah-Arizona border are experiencing major outbreaks due to vaccination rates falling below the required 95%.
•CDC officials say losing measles elimination status is 'the cost of doing business' because borders are 'somewhat porous' with international travel.

In a plot twist worthy of a low-budget thriller, the U.S. is on track to lose its prized measles elimination status thanks to a measles comeback tour starting from a West Texas outbreak that racked up 762 cases and ended with the first measles deaths in a decade—two unfortunate kids. South Carolina, seizing the torch, is quarantining hundreds as if prepping for a sick apocalypse. CDC's Ralph Abraham shrugged, calling this ‘just the cost of doing business’ because apparently porous borders and globe-trotting measles are now business partners. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Trump gang initially downplayed risks before endorsing the MMR vaccine, sort of like recommending fire extinguishers after the house is burnt. States like Utah-Arizona are dangling below the critical 95% vaccinated threshold—basically the Fortnite win threshold for herd immunity.