It doesn’t take long at all for a single case of the measles to turn into a genuine outbreak. In Ohio, the number of cases in Ashtabula County alone had grown to 11 by the end of last week. There were seven in Knox County and one each in Allen and Holmes counties.

It takes even less time, it seems, for irresponsible political rhetoric and misinformed (or just plain dishonest) social media nonsense to spread in a way that is just as dangerous.

By mid-April 2025, the U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024. There are outbreaks in Ohio, Texas — 505 cases (with two deaths, children ages 6 and 8), New Mexico — 56 cases (with one death, an adult), Indiana — six cases, Kansas — 32 cases and Oklahoma — 10 cases.

Those are just the states where the spread is now being labeled an outbreak. There are also cases in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington.

Herd immunity is waning in this country, as childhood vaccination rates decline. That improbable shift came with the rise in parents and guardians giving in to truly bizarre “political” and social media fear-based campaigns with zero basis in fact. One can’t help but wonder what those in positions of power and influence hope to gain by convincing people NOT to take steps that will protect their children, their families and their communities.

It’s not too late to do something about it, however. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children between the ages of 12 months and 15 months can get their first measles, mumps and rubella vaccine shot; and their second between ages 4 and 6 years. Boosters also can be given to those at higher risk for infection who got their shots many years ago — and the CDC says getting another MMR shot is harmless for those who have concerns about waning immunity.

In Texas, one of the children killed by measles had no underlying health conditions and died of “what the child’s doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” Imagine the horror of witnessing a healthy elementary-aged child succumb to such an illness.

There’s been an effective way to prevent it since 1963. (1971, if you’re wondering about the combined MMR vaccine). But it only works if enough people are vaccinated against this potentially deadly disease.

Get it done.