US Faces $7.8 Billion Measles Risk as Shots Decline, Study Finds

A sustained drop in childhood vaccinations could cost the US about $7.8 billion in measles outbreaks over five years, a new study found.

The warning comes as vaccine policy and public confidence face fresh pressure under the second Trump administration. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved to reshape a key federal vaccine advisory panel, raising concerns among public health experts, while the US is already seeing more than 1,700 measles cases this year.

Measles outbreaks in 2025 alone generated $244 million in costs, or about $104,600 per case, researchers from the University of Florida and Yale School ...