{"id":2125597,"date":"2025-12-05T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=2125597"},"modified":"2025-12-05T12:29:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T17:29:11","slug":"measles-virus-outbreak-spread-genomic-analysis-elimination-status-cdc-rfk-us","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/measles-virus-outbreak-spread-genomic-analysis-elimination-status-cdc-rfk-us\/","title":{"rendered":"While Scientists Race To Study Spread of Measles in US, Kennedy Unravels Hard-Won Gains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The United States is poised to lose its measles-free status next year. If that happens, the country will enter an era in which outbreaks are common again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"block--sidebar alignright \">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kaiser-health-news-partner block--partner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"partner__image--link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/12\/05\/texas-measles-outbreak-spread-elimination\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"partner__image\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/10\/logo-texas-tribune-145.png?w=120\" alt=\"Partner logo\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"partner__content\">\n\t\tThis story also ran on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/12\/05\/texas-measles-outbreak-spread-elimination\/\">The Texas Tribune<\/a>. It can be <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/measles-virus-outbreak-spread-genomic-analysis-elimination-status-cdc-rfk-us\/view\/republish\/\">republished for free<\/a>.\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>More children would be hospitalized because of this preventable disease. Some would lose their hearing. Some would die. Measles is also expensive. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medrxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2025.10.24.25338724v2\">new study<\/a> \u2014 not yet published in a scientific journal \u2014 estimates that the public health response to outbreaks with only a couple of cases costs about $244,000. When a patient requires hospital care, costs average $58,600 per case. The study\u2019s estimates suggest that an outbreak the size of the one in West Texas earlier this year, with 762 cases and 99 hospitalizations, costs about $12.6 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>America\u2019s status hinges on whether the country\u2019s main outbreaks this year stemmed from the big one in West Texas that officially began Jan. 20. If these outbreaks are linked, and go on through Jan. 20 of next year, the U.S. will no longer be among nations that have banished the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of people worked very hard for a very long time to achieve elimination \u2014 years of figuring out how to make vaccines available, get good vaccine coverage, and have a rapid response to outbreaks to limit their spread,\u201d said Paul Rota, a microbiologist who recently retired from a nearly 40-year career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of acting fast to prevent a measles comeback, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer who founded an anti-vaccine organization before taking the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services, has undermined the ability of public health officials to prevent and contain outbreaks by eroding trust in vaccines. The measles vaccine is safe and effective: Only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/measles\/data-research\/index.html\">4% of more than 1,800<\/a> confirmed U.S. cases of measles this year have been in people who had received two doses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kennedy has <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/trump-autism-announcement-rfk-tylenol-pregnancy-vaccines\/\">fired experts<\/a> on the vaccine advisory committee to the CDC and has said, without evidence, that vaccines may cause autism, brain swelling, and death. On Nov. 19, scientific information on a CDC webpage about vaccines and autism was replaced with false claims. Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/11\/21\/us\/politics\/rfk-jr-cdc-vaccines-autism-website.html\">told The New York Times<\/a> that he ordered the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo we want to go back into a prevaccine era where 500 kids die of measles each year?\u201d asked Demetre Daskalakis, a former director of the CDC\u2019s national immunization center, who resigned in protest of Kennedy\u2019s actions in August. He and other scientists said the Trump administration appears to be occupied more with downplaying the resurgence of measles than with curbing the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement that vaccination remains the most effective tool for preventing measles and that the \u201cCDC and state and local health agencies continue to work together to assess transmission patterns and ensure an effective public health response.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of a man wearing a suit and tie as he stands in a crowd. He puts his left hand to his chest and smiles.\" class=\"wp-image-2126246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=770,513 770w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=840,560 840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=720,480 720w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=570,380 570w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=370,247 370w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=270,180 270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=170,113 170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=100,67 100w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=1170,780 1170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=200,134 200w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=315,210 315w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=630,420 630w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2231821766.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Demetre Daskalakis places a hand over his heart as employees and supporters of the CDC cheer to honor him on Aug. 28, after he resigned in protest of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s actions.<span class=\"photo-credit\">(Elijah Nouvelage\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Looking for Links<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CDC scientists are indeed tracking measles, alongside researchers at health departments and universities. To learn whether outbreaks are linked, they\u2019re looking at the genomes of measles viruses, which contain all their genetic information. Genomic analyses could help reveal the origin of outbreaks and their true size, and alert officials to undetected spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scientists have conducted genomic analyses of HIV, the flu, and covid for years, but it\u2019s new for measles because the virus hasn\u2019t been much of a problem in the U.S. for decades, said Samuel Scarpino, a public health specialist at Northeastern University in Boston. \u201cIt\u2019s important to get a surveillance network into place so that we could scale up rapidly if and when we need it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are working with the CDC and other states to determine whether what we\u2019re seeing is one large outbreak with continued spread from state to state,\u201d said Kelly Oakeson, a genomics researcher at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance, the ongoing outbreak in <a href=\"https:\/\/epi.utah.gov\/measles-response\/\">Utah<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azdhs.gov\/preparedness\/epidemiology-disease-control\/measles\/index.php\">Arizona<\/a>, with 258 cases as of Dec. 1, seems linked to the one in Texas because they\u2019re caused by the same strain of measles, D8-9171. But this strain is also spreading throughout Canada and Mexico, which means the outbreaks could have been sparked separately from people infected abroad. If that happened, this technicality could spare the U.S. from losing its status, Rota said. Being measles-free means the virus isn\u2019t circulating in a country continuously year-round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canada lost its measles-elimination status in November because authorities couldn\u2019t prove that various outbreaks from the D8-9171 strain were unrelated, said Daniel Salas, executive manager of the comprehensive immunization program at the Pan American Health Organization. The group, which works with the World Health Organization, includes health officials from countries in North, South, and Central America, and the Caribbean. It makes a call on measles elimination based on reports from scientists in the countries it represents.<a href=\"https:\/\/health-infobase.canada.ca\/measles-rubella\/\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Early next year, PAHO will hear from U.S. scientists. If their analyses suggest that measles has spread continuously for a year within the U.S., the organization\u2019s director may revoke the country\u2019s status as measles-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe expect countries to be transparent about the information they have,\u201d Salas said. \u201cWe will ask questions, like, \u2018How did you determine your findings, and did you consider other angles?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3840\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of an infographic that explains measles symptoms.\" class=\"wp-image-2126245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=770,513 770w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=840,560 840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=720,480 720w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=570,380 570w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=370,247 370w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=270,180 270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=170,113 170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=100,67 100w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=1170,780 1170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=200,134 200w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=315,210 315w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=630,420 630w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Measles_Comeback_02.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3840px) 100vw, 3840px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign at a hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, describes measles symptoms.<span class=\"photo-credit\">(Arielle Zionts\/KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In anticipation of PAHO\u2019s assessment, Oakeson and other researchers are studying how closely the D8-9171 strains in Utah match others. Instead of looking at only a short snippet of genes that mark the strain, they\u2019re analyzing the entire genome of the measles virus, about 16,000 genetic letters long. Genetic mutations occur naturally over time, and the accumulation of small changes can act like a clock, revealing how much time has ticked by between outbreaks. \u201cThis tells us the evolutionary history of samples,\u201d Oakeson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if one child directly infects another, the kids will have matching measles viruses. But measles viruses infecting people at the start of a large outbreak would be slightly different than those infecting people months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the Texas and Utah outbreaks are caused by the same strain, Oakeson said, \u201cmore fine-grained details are leading us to believe they aren\u2019t super closely related.\u201d To learn just how different they are from each other, scientists are comparing them with measles virus genomes from other states and countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideally scientists could pair genetic studies with shoe-leather investigations into how each outbreak started. However, many investigations have come up dry because the first people infected haven\u2019t sought care or contacted health departments. As in West Texas, the outbreak in Utah and Arizona is concentrated in close-knit, undervaccinated communities that are leery of government authorities and mainstream medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers are also trying to learn how many measles cases have gone undetected. \u201cConfirmed cases require testing, and in some communities, there\u2019s a cost to going to the hospital to get tested: a tank of gas, finding a babysitter, missing work,\u201d Andrew Pavia, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Utah, said. \u201cIf your kid has a measles rash but isn\u2019t very sick, why would you bother?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Subtle Surveillance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavia is part of a nationwide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/forecast-outbreak-analytics\/leadership\/index.html\">outbreak surveillance network<\/a> led by the CDC. A straightforward way to figure out how large an outbreak is would be through surveys, but that\u2019s complicated when communities don\u2019t trust public health workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn a collaborative setting, we could administer questionnaires asking if anyone in a household had a rash and other measles symptoms,\u201d Pavia said, \u201cbut the same issues that make it difficult to get people to quarantine and vaccinate make this hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, Pavia and other researchers are analyzing genomes. A lot of variation suggests an outbreak spread for weeks or months before it was detected, infecting many more people than known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A less intrusive mode of surveillance is through wastewater. This year, the CDC and state health departments have launched efforts to test sewage from households and buildings for measles viruses that infected people shed. A <a href=\"https:\/\/ajph.aphapublications.org\/doi\/10.2105\/AJPH.2025.308146\">study in Texas<\/a> found that this could function as an early warning system, alerting public health authorities to an outbreak before people show up in hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The quiet research of CDC scientists stands in stark contrast to its dearth of public-facing actions. The CDC hasn\u2019t held a single press briefing on measles since President Donald Trump took office, and its last publication on measles in the agency\u2019s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report was in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than act fast to limit the size of the Texas outbreak, the Trump administration <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/texas-measles-outbreak-cdc-vaccines-rfk-trump\/\">impeded the CDC\u2019s ability<\/a> to communicate quickly with Texas officials and <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/russell-vought-trump-omb-doge-public-health-budget-shutdown\/\">slowed the release<\/a> of federal emergency funds, according to investigations by KFF Health News. Meanwhile Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/2025\/03\/rfk-jr-misleads-about-measles-vaccine-in-hannity-interview\/\">broadcast mixed messages<\/a> on vaccines <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6369907937112\">and touted<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idsociety.org\/science-speaks-blog\/2025\/talking-to-patients-about-measles-vitamin-a-and-the-importance-of-vaccination\/\">unproven treatments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1824\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2126244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png 1824w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=150,54 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=500,180 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=768,277 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=1270,458 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=1536,554 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=120,43 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=170,61 170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=300,108 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=315,114 315w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=630,227 630w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Mealses_Comeback_03.png?resize=1200,433 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1824px) 100vw, 1824px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Feb. 5 email from Texas health official Scott Milton, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by KFF Health News. Milton wanted to reach measles experts at the CDC who could answer urgent questions, but the agency responded sluggishly during the Trump administration\u2019s layoffs and a freeze on communications. The email has been redacted to protect the privacy of individuals and facilities.<span class=\"photo-credit\">(Screenshot by KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Daskalakis said that as the outbreak in Texas worsened, his CDC team was met by silence when they asked to brief Kennedy and other HHS officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cObjectively they weren\u2019t helping with the Texas outbreak, so if we lose elimination, maybe they\u2019ll say, \u2018Who cares,\u2019\u201d Daskalakis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nixon, the HHS spokesperson, said Kennedy responded strongly to the Texas outbreak by directing the CDC to help provide measles vaccines and medications to communities, expediting measles testing, and advising doctors and health officials. The U.S. retains its elimination status because there\u2019s no evidence of continuous transmission for 12 months, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPreliminary genomic analysis suggests the Utah and Arizona cases are not directly linked to Texas,\u201d the CDC\u2019s acting director, Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O\u2019Neill, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HHS_Jim\/status\/1990874580349825032\">wrote on the social platform X<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given Kennedy\u2019s distortions of data on <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/texas-measles-outbreak-cdc-vaccines-rfk-trump\/\">vitamin A<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/trump-autism-announcement-rfk-tylenol-pregnancy-vaccines\/\">Tylenol<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/cdc-autism-baseless-new-guidance-website\/\">autism<\/a>, Daskalakis said the Trump administration may insist that outbreaks aren\u2019t linked or that PAHO is wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt will be quite a stain on the Kennedy regime if he is the health secretary in the year we lose elimination status,\u201d he said. \u201cI think they will do everything they can to cast doubt on the scientific findings, even if it means throwing scientists under the bus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scientists are conducting genetic analyses to see if the measles outbreak that started in Texas is still spreading from state to state. It\u2019s a contentious question, because the findings may determine whether America loses its measles-free status.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2125619,"template":"","meta":{"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"kff_featured_video":0,"kff_show_featured_video":false,"kff_show_mute_audio_button":false,"custom_shortlink":"\/MjEyNTU5Nw","kaiser_health_news_byline_override":"","kaiser_health_news_can_republish":true,"kaiser_health_news_featured_image_caption":"","kaiser_health_news_header_overlay_color":"","kaiser_health_news_header_theme_slug":"","kaiser_health_news_hero_image":0,"kaiser_health_news_backdrop_padding":115,"kaiser_health_news_hide_partner":false,"kaiser_health_news_kicker":"","kaiser_health_news_kicker_background_color":"","kaiser_health_news_kicker_text_color":"","kaiser_health_news_kicker_url":"","kaiser_health_news_nav_theme_slug":"compact","kaiser_health_news_nav_transparency":false,"kaiser_health_news_sharing_title":"","kaiser_health_news_show_featured_image":true,"kaiser_health_news_subheadline":"","kaiser_health_news_suppress_kicker":false,"kaiser_health_news_suppress_subheadline":false,"kaiser_health_news_update_time":"2025-12-05T09:30:11","kaiser_health_news_vertical_image":0,"kaiser_health_news_title_align_left":false,"kaiser_health_news_custom_header_image":0,"photo_byline":[],"story_update":"<p><em><strong>[Update:<\/strong> This article was revised at 12:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 5, 2025, to update the number of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. in 2025.]<\/em><\/p>","update_position":"bottom","kaiser_syndication_sites":[],"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-12-05T10:06:36Z","apple_news_api_id":"47d9072e-f507-4c41-b339-81c1d6c20052","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-12-05T17:29:17Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AR9kHLvUHTEGzOYHB1sIAUg","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":["https:\/\/news-api.apple.com\/sections\/20265c01-23d7-4d15-96e0-0691b89c3772"],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140023,439525648,28006,10314551,439528530,31304],"tags":[439530183,24592,303248460,102910,303277465,439529355,1575,439524171,439524410,84540],"primary-topic":[],"partners":[439524359],"funder":[439528770,439529608,439528999,439528750,439529201],"coauthors":[439529406],"class_list":["post-2125597","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicaid","category-mountain-states-bureau","category-public-health","category-rural-health","category-southern-bureau","category-states","tag-agency-watch","tag-arizona","tag-cdc","tag-childrens-health","tag-hhs","tag-misinformation","tag-texas","tag-trump-administration","tag-utah","tag-vaccines","partners-the-texas-tribune","funder-arnold-ventures","funder-bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation","funder-helmsley-charitable-trust","funder-robert-wood-johnson-foundation","funder-rwjf-healthtrust"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>While Scientists Race To Study Spread of Measles in US, Kennedy Unravels Hard-Won Gains - KFF Health News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Scientists are conducting genetic analyses to see if the measles outbreak that started in Texas is still spreading from state to state. 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