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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.
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.
Anti-vaxxers are 100% responsible for the loss of herd immunity against measles in the US.
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.