Just in time for the new school year, CDC data show MMR vaccination rates have dropped below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.
In this episode, Dr. Erin Stevens and Dr. Rob Davidson break down what's driving the decline in vaccination rates around the country. We have state-level exemption policies and rhetoric from RFK Jr. and the Trump administration around splitting up the MMR vaccine leading to mass confusion over health policy. It’s led to measles, a disease the U.S. declared eliminated in 2000, is now seeing its highest case numbers in 35 years. They discuss the real health risks of measles (including encephalitis and long-term organ damage), why public trust and misinformation are central to the problem, and what it will take to reverse the trend.
