As measles threatens New York, doctors confront anti-vaccine misinformation

There were 15 cases of measles in New York last year, and the number of cases is projected to exceed that this year, thanks to falling vaccination rates. One issue holding back herd immunity is the politicization of vaccines that’s swept the country in the years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physicians are worried that the spread of unchecked narratives about vaccine safety and the presence of a vaccine skeptic at the head of the federal government’s public health infrastructure are causing serious harm. 

A highly contagious disease that often presents with a red blotchy rash and distinct spots, measles can be fatal for children. As of now, there have been four measles cases detected in 

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Health Commissioner James McDonald briefed New Yorkers on the current situation regarding measles. They both stressed how safe and widely available the measles vaccine is, while expressing shock that Trump administration officials were debating its efficacy and safety.

“Pushing back on Washington to try to convince Secretary Robert Kennedy that he's wrong is probably a waste of time, and he's had a lifetime of disputing these lies,” Hochul said. “I don't think that me telling him he's wrong is going to change it. I have to be the truth teller to the people of this state.” 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy falsely claimed in a March 11 interview with Sean Hannity that the measles vaccine “causes all the illnesses” that it is mean to prevent and “causes deaths” each year. There have been 377 measles cases reported in the U.S. so far this year, mostly in Texas and nearby states, and physicians have tried to push back on Kenendy’s claims. 

But the politicization of vaccines during COVID-19 has led to a growing skepticism of all vaccines in some corners of the Republican Party.

Republican Assembly Member Ari Brown has introduced legislation that would prohibit the administration of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and direct the state Department of Health to study the vaccine further. He told City & State that he has received the measles vaccine and would encourage others to get it. “I'm not ever going to tell someone not to take the measles vaccine,” Brown said. “My children took it. I took it.”

But he still doesn’t see any issue with Kennedy publicly questioning the vaccine’s safety. He said that Kennedy was only encouraging parents to do further research before deciding whether to vaccinate their children.

Politicization of vaccines may not be the only reason for falling vaccination rates. Some family physicians point to cultural barriers that prevent families from getting their children vaccinated. In parts of the state where communities don’t have an intrinsic culture of going to the doctor, let alone getting inoculated against diseases, it can be an uphill battle to convince people that it’s necessary. 

State Academy of Family Physicians Vice President Wayen Strouse likened it to convincing an alcoholic to stop drinking before they're ready, which is less than ideal given the stakes. “We have these areas that are at grave risk if measles falls in that area, and it's going to multiply because it's not being stopped,” Strouse said. 

Ultimately, doctors have to hope that the facts will outweigh all else, even the misinformation coming out of the Trump administration. “The government is sort of, by nature, political, but doctors really, they can disagree on a lot of things, but they really like the data-driven idea,” he said.