What would happen if Florida stopped vaccinating children against measles?
Measles cases in the United States have surged significantly, with thousands of infections reported in 2025 and 2026. Researchers warn that ending mandatory school vaccination requirements in Florida could lead to hundreds of preventable deaths within a few years.
Why it matters
The decline in vaccination rates poses a major public health threat, potentially reversing decades of progress in disease eradication.
Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination of a teenager in a pediatrician's office in Coral Gables, Florida, August 13, 2026. JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP Measles has returned to the United States. With 2,144 cases reported in 2025, the disease saw a 650% increase compared to the previous year (285 cases). During the first nine months of 2026, the trend only accelerated, with 3,471 people infected, most of them children. In Pennsylvania, one of the three hardest-hit states along with Texas and South Carolina, health authorities reported 700 cases and four deaths, including two children and two adults. The year 2000, when the disease was declared "eliminated" in the US, now seems a distant memory.
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