Canada lost its measles elimination fight

This week, Canada officially lost its measles elimination status, which it held for nearly 30 years — a shameful consequence of falling childhood vaccination rates.

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In normal times, Canada's misfortune might serve as yet another wake-up call for public health leaders in the US, which is precariously close to losing its own measles-free status, according to the Tribune News Service.

But these are not normal times. Anti-vaccine and antiscience rhetoric continue to grow more deeply entrenched — within our health agencies, through local and state policies, and in the public imagination — making the nation’s elimination status only one of many looming threats to public health.

That situation is the result of a years-long campaign by anti-vaccine activists, who once operated at the fringes of society. But with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now leading the nation's health agencies, these individuals are suddenly emboldened to push their agenda even further. Mark Gorton, president of the MAHA Institute, made that abundantly clear at an event earlier this month hosted by Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization Kennedy founded. According to a New York Times report, Gorton told the audience, “I've come to this anti-vax conference with a message that we need to be more boldly anti-vax.”