Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning it was stopped from spreading freely. But that’s no longer the case. By April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported more than 480 cases nationwide and one death in 2025.

Meanwhile, social media and podcasting platforms are rife with misinformation about the severity of the virus and the development, efficacy, and side effects of vaccines, helping drive vaccination rates in the U.S. ever lower. The result: a rapidly spreading measles outbreak and a threat to the hard-won public health gains made possible from decades of vaccination.

So how exactly did we get here, and what do we do now?

Dr. Peter Hotez, a Baker Institute fellow, vaccine scientist, physician, and public health advocate, joined Director David M. Satterfield to discuss the causes and consequences of the West Texas outbreak at a March 26 Baker Institute event. Their conversation has been condensed for this episode of “Baker Briefing.”

(You can watch the full conversation here: https://bit.ly/3R7iVJi.)

Follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.