Vaccine skeptics are to blame for the rise in U.S. measles cases, according to State Health Officer Scott Harris.
Measles cases in 2026 have already outpaced last year's total, while Alabama has yet to report a single in-state case.
SEE: ADPH pushes vaccination after measles case detected in Alabamian residing, working out-of-state
Harris told Alabama Public Television's "Capitol Journal" on Friday that vaccine skepticism was fueling the national outbreak.
“We have the biggest measles outbreak that we've had since about the year 2000. Here now, the third week of July 2026, we already have more cases than we had all of last year in 2025, and 2025 was the biggest measles year that we've ever had since the year 2000,” Harris said.
“I've got to assume that this is directly linked to folks not getting their kids vaccinated, right? Because of this vaccine skepticism,” host Todd Stacy proffered.
Harris replied, “That's the reason. The measles vaccine works really, really well.”
The vaccine percentages for 2026 are currently at the same level as 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We have seen measles vaccination rates fall. A lot of it happened during the pandemic, and some of that was just disruption of medical services,” Harris continued. “Kids weren't going to get their routine school shots, and you know, the other hospitals were full, and doctors were busy, and so a lot of people got behind on shots with their children. But there is vaccine skepticism that we, you and I, have talked about several times on this show. And I don't think we have in Alabama a lot of people who are just antivaxers, but I do think we have a lot of, you know, young parents who are just kind of confused about what people are saying. Our vaccination rates in Alabama are actually quite good. We're in that upper echelon of states in terms of how well we're vaccinated, but we know we're not as well vaccinated as we should be to prevent an outbreak.”
To connect with the story's author or comment, email [email protected] or find him on X and Facebook.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
