'A hazard to our health': Warnock demands RFK Jr.'s resignation over vaccine stance

The United States is in the grip of a measles outbreak, and while the causes are many, few are as damaging as eroding trust in vaccination—the surest way to stop the spread, according to Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who used a post on X to place the blame squarely on the health secretary. "There is one effective way to reduce the spread and severity of measles: Vaccination. And RFK Jr. has undermined it at every turn. He is a hazard to our health and must resign," Warnock wrote on Friday.

Warnock's comments come in the wake of a rising number of measles cases, linked to a declining vaccination rate for a disease officially declared eradicated in 2000. Medical experts say the trend has largely been fueled by vaccine skepticism promoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. since his Senate confirmation. The numerous changes to U.S. vaccine policy under his tenure include firing several members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in June last year, and repeatedly asserting—without evidence—that vaccines contribute to autism.

The current number of confirmed cases stands at 2,318 as of July 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed, adding that for the full year of 2025, a total of 2,289 confirmed measles cases were reported in the country. There have been 35 new outbreaks reported in 2026, and 93% of confirmed cases can be attributed to them. In contrast, there were 48 outbreaks in 2025, and 16 outbreaks reported during 2024.

Forty-five jurisdictions reported 2,302 of the 2,318 cases, including states like Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, and Georgia, among others. A total of 16 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the U.S. this year, compared with 25 in 2025. The overall figures mark the highest number of U.S. cases in a single year since the highly contagious disease from 1989 to 1991, which saw more than 55,000 infections and 123 deaths, according to Reuters, which added that no deaths have been reported in 2026.

The virus, which typically causes symptoms such as fever, rash and respiratory issues, can be prevented with a vaccine commonly given in the U.S. for three childhood diseases—measles, mumps and rubella. It is considered 97% effective after two doses, the CDC said, adding that average vaccination coverage among kindergarten children dropped to 92.5% last year, well below the 95% threshold considered necessary to achieve the "herd immunity" needed to prevent the virus's spread.