The Brian Lehrer Show The Worst Measles Outbreak in 20 Years
Jan 20, 2026
Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter for The New York Times, sheds light on the alarming rise of measles in 2025. She discusses how this has become the worst outbreak in decades, fueled by unvaccinated children and vulnerabilities in pockets like New York. Mandavilli connects declining vaccination rates post-pandemic with growing vaccine skepticism. She emphasizes measles' serious risks, including complications that extend beyond a rash, while recounting personal stories that underscore the importance of community immunity and childhood vaccinations.
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Single Ongoing Outbreak Risk
- The 2025 measles surge (≈2,200 cases) is the worst in about 30 years and may represent one continuous outbreak.
- If uninterrupted, it could cause the U.S. to lose its official measles elimination status.
Small Drop, Big Impact
- Measles cases are rising globally and U.S. vaccination rates fell after the pandemic.
- National coverage slipped from ~95% to ~92.5%, creating hundreds of thousands unvaccinated and many vulnerable counties.
Local Pockets Drive Outbreaks
- Vaccination gaps exist at the local level even in high-vaccination states due to exemptions and homeschooling.
- Those pockets enable fast measles spread because the disease is extremely contagious.