Doctors across the United States are reporting a sharp rise in infectious diseases that vaccines are designed to prevent. Measles, whooping cough, rotavirus, and chickenpox are all increasing, with children bearing much of the burden. Officials also report a rise in unvaccinated adults requiring hospitalization, including some who have refused tetanus shots and blood transfusions.
According to Healthline, the primary cause cited by experts is a growing number of both children and adults who are not vaccinated. By late May, the CDC had tracked significant measles case counts, with the largest outbreak centered in South Carolina, where 669 cases had been reported so far this year.
The rise in disease is happening alongside a shift in federal vaccine policy. In January, the Department of Health and Human Services released a new childhood vaccination schedule that recommended vaccination against 11 diseases. Six other diseases were moved to a recommended-only-for-higher-risk category. The change came under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A week before this reporting, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reaffirming an HHS assessment that aligns United States childhood vaccine practices with what it described as scientific evidence and best practices from peer developed countries.
The executive order pointed out that in 1980, the CDC recommended children receive 23 vaccine doses in seven shots against seven diseases. By 2024, that number had grown to at least 84 doses in at least 57 shots covering 17 diseases, more than any other developed nation.
Kennedy defended the schedule change. "After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health," he said in a statement.
Infectious disease specialists are not reassured. William Schaffner, MD, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and a specialist in infectious diseases, said the trend is alarming. "I am very concerned about the increase in cases of vaccine-preventable infections in children in the United States," he said.
Schaffner pointed to diseases beyond measles that have received less attention. "Large measles outbreaks have been well-publicized; less well known are recent increases in whooping cough and rotavirus (diarrheal) infections in children," he said. "There also have been clusters of chickenpox. All these illnesses can make children feel miserable, and that would be bad enough, but all can result in serious illness that requires hospitalization and can cause death."
Experts who spoke with Healthline said medical professionals have a role to play in reversing the trend by educating patients about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. The concern is not limited to any one disease. Officials say the overall decline in vaccination rates creates conditions for multiple outbreaks to occur at the same time, straining pediatric and public health systems.
