Canada officially lost its measles elimination status this month, one that it held for nearly 30 years — a shameful consequence of falling childhood vaccination rates.
In normal times, Canada’s misfortune might serve as yet another wake-up call for public health leaders in the U.S., which is precariously close to losing its own measles-free status.
But these are not normal times. Anti-vaccine and anti-science 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.
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